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EarFlo, a non-invasive alternative to treat chronic ear infections
Designed by the team of Professor Peter Santa Maria at Stanford University (California), the EarFlo device allows the Eustachian tubes to be unclogged non-invasively in patients with chronic ear infections. Integrated into a sippy cup, the system closes tightly around the nose. When the child drinks, he presses his nose on the system and a slight puff of air is emitted into the nasal cavity. This device thus helps reopen the Eustachian tubes and possibly drain fluid from the middle ear.
In a study of 24 children aged 20 months to 12 years, indicated for surgery, 88% of patients showed immediate clinical improvement after just 5 minutes of treatment, explained Peter Santa Maria, during his presentation to the jury. At home, 70% of patients experienced an immediate improvement in their hearing of at least 10 dB. A small proportion (11%) did not improve. “ This allows us to pre-screen patients requiring surgery », Indicates Professor Santa Maria.
The team aims to obtain regulatory approval for market entry within 12 months.
MindAffect, a hearing test based on AI and a brain-computer interface
The Sofi device from MindAffect (Netherlands) is a simple and precise tool for assessing vision and hearing, without any patient intervention, explained the CEO of the startup, Jennifer Goodall. Specializing in brain-computer interfaces, the team used the power of artificial intelligence to analyze patients’ brain responses when watching a cartoon or a short video.
The technology used, called Rapid-CAEP, was patented by the startup. Composed of a headband capable of detecting 8 EEG channels, the system filters tremors, blinking and swallowing and performs a complete audiometric analysis in 10 minutes, with an accuracy of less than 7 dB.
The test is particularly suitable for fragile patients, such as young children or elderly people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, because the device does not require any communication from them. The Sofi prototype was validated at the University of Oldenburg in 2023. “ By the end of the year, the product should be fully ready. By mid-2025, it will be available for research. And by mid-2026, it will be medically certified and available to diagnose patients », predicts Jennifer Goodall.
VertImage – Virtual reality to train caregivers in the diagnosis of dizziness
Designed by the ENT department of Professor Alexis Bozorg Grayeli, at the Dijon-Bourgogne University Hospital, in partnership with the Image institute in Chalon-sur-Saône, the Vert’Image system is an improved mannequin in virtual reality, intended for training health professionals when examining dizziness. The simulator consists of a “head”, real size and printed in 3D, fixed on a rigid rod, itself placed on a mobile base. To train, the caregiver is equipped with a virtual reality headset and can manipulate and analyze the reactions of “their patient” in real time. The tool has been validated for ENT surgeons and emergency physicians.
