{"id":186579,"date":"2025-11-04T16:35:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T14:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/?p=186579"},"modified":"2025-11-11T16:23:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:23:34","slug":"asvel-advancing-smart-endoscopy-from-the-operating-room-to-the-battlefield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/asvel-advancing-smart-endoscopy-from-the-operating-room-to-the-battlefield\/","title":{"rendered":"Asvel \u2013 Advancing smart endoscopy from the operating room to the battlefield"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Defence Business Lab accelerator wrapped up its pilot year, one team stood out among Estonia\u2019s emerging deeptech innovators \u2013 Asvel, the winner of the Defence Business Lab\u2019s demo day pitch competition. Their groundbreaking autonomous robotic system, which is capable of automatically controlling an endoscope camera during minimally invasive surgery, impressed the jury and audience alike. The innovation promises to increase surgical precision, reduce surgeons\u2019 workload, and expand the potential of medical robotics in both civilian and defence settings.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Defence Business Lab gave us, in addition to highly valuable workshops, several important contacts \u2013 including with partners in Ukraine \u2013 to explore how to further develop our medical device in light of the rapidly changing conditions of war,\u201d said Andres \u0160avel<\/strong>, orthopaedic surgeon and member of the Asvel team. \u201cThanks to the accelerator, we gained confirmation that in wartime conditions, it remains crucial to have a cost-efficient and resilient medical system. We hope to make a significant contribution to improving treatment outcomes for the wounded \u2013 with even fewer personnel required \u2013 through our robotic endoscope used in minimally invasive surgery.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since their time in the accelerator, Asvel has evolved from a promising concept to a recognized player on the European deeptech scene. The company\u2019s dual-use Smart Endoscope system is designed to serve both civilian healthcare and military medical needs, aligning with Europe\u2019s growing focus on dual-use technologies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to founder and CTO Ritesh Soni<\/strong>, the main challenge ahead is securing strategic funding and partnerships to move from prototype to large-scale manufacturing and clinical validation. \u201cBalancing the product\u2019s civilian and defence applications while ensuring scalability and certification remains a key focus,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Defence Business Lab helped Asvel refine its strategy toward dual-use commercialization, starting with surgical training, veterinary, and defence applications before expanding into hospitals and broader clinical markets. \u201cThe program helped us build clear communication between R&D, business development, and regulatory planning \u2013 our team became more agile and outcome-oriented,\u201d Soni adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asvel\u2019s progress has been remarkable since the accelerator:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Winner of the Defence Business Lab Demo Day Pitch Competition, earning a showcase slot at Defence Innovation Day 2025 in Tallinn\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Top 40 startup at Startup Fair 2025 in Vilnius\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Top 10 team at InterSystems x Sclr Labs HealthTech Pitch Night in London\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Winner in the \u201cDeep Tech CEE Rising Stars\u201d category at the Deep Tech CEE Summit 2025 in Warsaw\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Accepted into the Rubik Garage Accelerator \u2013 Future of HealthTech in Romania\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Advanced to the second stage of the AI Accelerator by Tehnopol in Tallinn\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    These achievements signal growing international recognition for Asvel\u2019s AI-driven medical robotics innovation. Looking ahead, the company\u2019s ambitions are bold. \u201cIn five years, we aim to be a leading European medtech innovator, delivering AI-powered smart endoscopy systems that transform surgical care, improve field medicine, and contribute to next-generation defence healthcare,\u201d Soni says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Today, Asvel is seeking strategic investors, clinical partners, and regulatory guidance to accelerate CE certification and prototype industrialization. With its roots in Estonia\u2019s thriving defence innovation ecosystem and a clear path toward commercialization, Asvel stands poised to redefine the future of robotic surgery and defence healthcare \u2013 one smart endoscope at a time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    The Defence Business Lab accelerator is implemented by the Tehnopol Startup Incubator and Sparkup Tartu Science Park. The program is funded by the Ministry of Defence and supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When the Defence Business Lab accelerator wrapped up its pilot year, one team stood out among Estonia\u2019s emerging deeptech innovators \u2013 Asvel, the winner of the Defence Business Lab\u2019s demo day pitch competition. Their groundbreaking autonomous robotic system, which is capable of automatically controlling an endoscope camera during minimally invasive surgery, impressed the jury and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":186571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[194,198,182],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-technologies","category-dual-use-and-defence-technologies","category-startup-incubator"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186579"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186585,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186579\/revisions\/186585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}