Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOIT20230509014
- Term of Validity
- 11 May 2023 - 10 May 2025
- Company's Country
- Italy
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Investment agreement
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- This company, active in the healthcare sector, is developing an AI supported electronic headset that integrates into the classic Littmann stethoscopes, which enables auscultation sounds to be amplified and filtered, emphasizing the sounds of interest. These features improve the doctor's diagnosis. The company is looking for R&D partners holding databases of auscultation sounds in order to test the technology. They look also for investors for the further development of the technology.
- Full Description
-
The Italian company is an Innovative SME dealing with ICT innovations in the healthcare market. The company mission is to improve the early diagnosis outcome, by improving the first objective examination.
The know-how of the company is focused on the design of electronic and medical devices and the development of related software. They believe that health workers can not be replaced by any machine or software, as their professionalism and skills are at the center of the modern medicine. The company’s vision is to provide them with useful tools that can help in the clinical examination, by enhancing doctor diagnostic skills.
In particular, the auscultation by using the traditional stethoscope is the first step in the clinical examination. Every day each physician performs more than 4 auscultations. A correct interpretation is crucial for an early diagnosis, but today, a lack of proper experience is the cause of additional expensive examinations.
The company’s strategic vision lies on the mechanical functionalities of traditional stethoscopes, proved by continuous developments of mechanical stethoscopes and increasing trust in mechanical stethoscopes by users.
They have developed an electronic headset that integrates into the classic Littmann stethoscopes, which enables auscultation sounds to be amplified and filtered, emphasizing the sounds of interest. It provides in real-time 32X amplification and auscultation filtering. The technology also exploits AI since it is equipped with a dedicated predictive AI software, developed by the company, that analyses the sound together with other patient parameters, and give as output, a diagnosis probability which helps the physicians in the preventive diagnosis. These features allow to improve the doctor's diagnosis. The technology enables also the remote monitoring & telemedicine as it allows the traditional stethoscope to be used by remote.
In particular, it has the following features:
- 2 filters (80 – 700Hz and 100 – 1000Hz) to emphasize high tones (for lung tones);
- 2 filters (20 – 200Hz and 30 – 500Hz) to emphasize low tones (for heart tones);
- battery (5 hours in continuous use and rechargeable;
- made in ergonomic rubber to guarantee hygiene;
- easy-to-use control panel;
- intuitive design;
- bluetooth audio profile;
- Smartphones/tablets/laptops can be used as remote monitoring portals.
Over the years the technology has been funded under the EIT Health and the SME instrument (phase 1) and has been awarded with the Seal of Excellence to the SME instrument phase 2. In order to validate the product, the company has made trials in clinics in three important centres in the Netherlands. In 2019 they had the first sales in Netherlands and Belgium with a distributor. In the last years they developed the first AI algorithm (proof of concept) for lung sounds and then they developed and tested the AI supported device in four university hospitals in Italy.
To date, the company have developed the first batch of 100 pcs. They have started advanced operational tests and sales. The development of the AI model is having important results. To further implement the AI algorithm the current need is to have access to a number of lung sounds. For this reason the company is looking for partners holding large databases of auscultation sounds in order to test the technology. The cooperation will be carried out under research and development cooperation agreement. The company is also looking for investors that are willing to finance research and development activities under investment agreement. - Advantages and Innovations
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Italian company's value proposition differentiates them from other competitors, which offer electronic stethoscopes. The headsets developed by the Italian company pick up the sound coming from the traditional stethoscope and enhance it with amplification and filtering.
The natural sound produced by the stethoscope is used as a precise benchmark. This allows sound performances that are better than competitive solutions (electronic stethoscopes, that produce an electronic-based sound).
They have developed the A.I. algorithm, with sounds coming from the traditional stethoscope. That helps the doctor to recognize specific pathologies by analysing the sound and patient's features/history/objective exams. This is an advantage in terms of the usability and scalability of the solution. The other available AI solutions are based on sound coming from specific digital stethoscopes.
The device allows the traditional stethoscope to be used in remote monitoring and telemedicine.
The headsets are CE marked as class 1 medical device. - Stage of Development
- Already on the market
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- IPR status
- IPR granted
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
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The Italian company is looking for clinics, hospitals or any partner in the healthcare sector holding large datasets of lung sounds. To date, the first batch of 100 pcs is available. The company started advanced operational tests and sales. The development of the AI model is having important results. To further implement the AI algorithm the current need is to have access to lung sound.
The cooperation will be carried out under research and development cooperation agreement. The company is also looking for investors to support research and development activities under investment agreement. - Type and Size of Partner
- R&D Institution
- Other
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Investment agreement
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 006001002 - Care and Health Services
- 06001005 - Diagnostics, Diagnosis
- 01004001 - Applications for Health
- Market keywords
- 05007006 - Computer-aided diagnosis and therapy
- 05004004 - Medical instruments
- 05001003 - Differential diagnosis
- 05001001 - Diagnostic services
- 05004005 - Diagnostic equipment
- Targeted countries
- All countries