Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TODK20250610007
- Term of Validity
- 10 June 2025 - 10 June 2026
- Company's Country
- Denmark
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- A Danish SME has developed an AI-based robotic technology capable of fully automating the process of throat swab collection, eliminating the need for human interaction and minimizing infection risk. The company seeks to join a consortium under HORIZON-HLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-04: Leveraging artificial intelligence for pandemic preparedness and response, contributing its expertise to a work package focused on AI-driven diagnostics, testing automation, or scalable response infr
- Full Description
-
Founded during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Danish SME has developed a fully automated robotic system that performs standardized throat swab sampling from patients without the involvement of medical staff. The core of the technology is an AI-powered vision system that ensures optimal swab placement and sample quality.
The robot addresses key challenges identified during pandemic outbreaks, including:
• Minimizing infection risk by removing direct human contact.
• Enabling rapid scaling of testing capacity in response to varying infection rates.
• Ensuring consistent and high-quality samples, improving the reliability of diagnostic outcomes.
The AI system has potential for further development in broader pandemic preparedness contexts, including self-service testing stations, integration with digital health infrastructure, and data-driven optimization of test deployment.
There is also untapped potential in applying AI-driven image analysis to the initial images captured by the vision system during the swabbing process. While this functionality has not yet been developed, it opens up an intriguing prospect in the context of pandemic response — particularly in reducing costs associated with swab collection and laboratory analysis. One could envision a scenario where AI could determine the likelihood of infection from a throat image alone, thereby eliminating the need for universal swabbing. This could significantly improve efficiency and resource allocation in future pandemic situations.
The SME is actively seeking to join a consortium applying under HORIZON-HLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-04: Leveraging artificial intelligence for pandemic preparedness and response. Due to limited resources, the company does not aim to coordinate but is highly motivated to contribute to a dedicated work package. The ideal partners are research institutions, health organizations, or industrial actors focusing on diagnostics, AI, or pandemic response systems.
Stage of development: Prototype validated in relevant environment (TRL 6–7). - Advantages and Innovations
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• AI-driven robotic swabbing with proven functionality
• Eliminates exposure risk for healthcare workers
• Scalable and easy to deploy in high-throughput environments
• High standardization improves diagnostic accuracy - Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
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The SME seeks partners with experience in:
• Coordinating or participating in EU health projects
• AI applications in health diagnostics
• Pandemic infrastructure and preparedness strategies
• Clinical validation and regulatory pathways for medical technologies - Stage of Development
- Lab tested
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- IPR status
- IPR applied but not yet granted
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
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• Consortium partners preparing for proposal under HORIZON-HLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-04
• Coordinator experienced with EU health research projects
• Preferably involving hospitals, universities, AI researchers, or diagnostic labs - Type and Size of Partner
- R&D Institution
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 01001001 - Automation, Robotics Control Systems
- 01004001 - Applications for Health
- Market keywords
- 08002007 - Other industrial automation
- 08002004 - Robotics
- 05007007 - Other medical/health related (not elsewhere classified)
- Targeted countries
- All countries