Airo Mobile Intraoperative CT, developed and manufactured by Mobius Imaging and distributed by Brainlab, was awarded gold in the Radiological and Electromechanical Device category of the 17th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) competition. Award winners were announced on June 11, 2014 at MD&M East’s main networking event—the 2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards ceremony held in New York. This distinction comes just months after Airo was honoured with a 2014 Red Dot Product Design Award.
The 2014 MDEA Juror Panel selected 33 winning products from among 54 exceptional finalist products in 11 medical technology product categories. Selected products excel in five areas: manufacturing and technological innovation; design and engineering advancements; patient benefits; business benefits; and overall improvement to healthcare industry.
“We are proud and honoured to receive MDEA gold for Airo,” says Gene Gregerson, chief executive officer Mobius Imaging. “This recognition validates the work we have put into this exceptional product. By answering true clinical needs with this product, we help ensure that it can be intuitively incorporated into everyday clinical practice. The system’s flexibility and mobility make Airo a valuable extension for several environments and a range of surgical clinical applications. We even worked directly with operating personnel including surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses to help verify numerous surgical workflows.”
Created to operate inside existing operating room suites, Airo design boasts an ultra-small footprint which incorporates advanced CT technology for intraoperative imaging as well as custom-built components to help address various challenges of mobility and sterility within the operating room. With the largest gantry opening on the market, Airo is suitable for cranial, spine and trauma procedures, making it a highly versatile intraoperative imaging system.
MDEA entries are judged by an impartial panel of experts from a range of disciplines—from engineers to designers to clinicians.
“We applaud our partner, Mobius Imaging, for achieving this gold award for design excellence” says Stefan Vilsmeier, president and chief executive officer of Brainlab. “As the exclusive distributor of Airo, and primary collaborator on the graphical user interface for Airo, we strongly believe it has the potential to positively alter the surgical space in many clinical fields. For us, the MDEA gold only confirms this potential.”
The first Airo systems went into clinical use in April 2014.
