The Watch Medtech Innovation Challenge helps microtechnology industry players transition to the medtech sector. Launched at EPHJ 2018 in partnership with Fondation Inartis, the Challenge aims to help the Show’s exhibitors diversify. The list of winners of the 2021 Challenge was drawn up during meetings and discussions at the Show, and includes three projects of different sizes and spanning different industries.
The Rolling Heart artificial heart project deploys maxon motor‘s expertise in micro motors. It aims to adapt the drive of this new-gen heart to the constraints of a biomedical implant and minimise the motor’s energy consumption. To this end, Fondation Inartis will team up with the EPFL-based maxon innovation Lab.
The second project, Klean, will produce self-cleaning coatings for the medical sector. The underlying technology is based on electrical impulses that are transmitted in a specially controlled manner through a glass micro-structure. Lausanne-based idea factory IcoFlex will support the project with its know-how and expertise.
Surface, the third finalist in this year’s Challenge, is a project that makes it possible to work on a device for measuring and controlling surface finishes for the medtech industry. Surface will enable French company Altimet, whose expertise has been harnessed for the solution, to continue its activities in the medical sector, where it is already working on injection projects.
The three winning projects were selected by a panel of experts led by Evelyne Gisselbrecht, director of the French-language publication DeviceMed, and Alexandre Catton, EPHJ Trade Fair Director. They will have five months to develop their innovations with a view to presenting their results to a new panel ahead of next year’s Show, which will be held in Geneva from 14 to 17 June 2022.