It’s not the best of journalistic practices to tout one periodical’s opinion over your own, but in this case, it is warranted.
A new technology developed at The University of Akron (UA) has been recognized by TIME Magazine as one of its “Best Inventions” for 2024. The new gadget, a medical device called Amplio, improves on surgical lenses known as loupes. It offers enhanced surgical visualization with microscope functionality and optimized real-time imaging.
The technology was developed by Dr. Yang Liu, who was an assistant professor in UA’s Department of Biomedical Engineering from 2013 to 2018. Dr. Liu and his team also developed initial prototypes to prove the concept and feasibility.
“We are pleased to see Amplio recognized as one of the year’s top inventions,” says Dr. Suzanne B. Bausch, vice president of research and business engagement and president of the UA Research Foundation (UARF). “This device will be a game-changing piece of equipment for surgeons. The University of Akron’s technology plays an integral role in the device.”
A start-up company, Unify Medical, which is bringing the Amplio device to market, has an exclusive license for the technology from UA through the UARF.
UA was issued a U.S. patent for the imaging and display system. The display presents a composite image that includes pre-operative surgical navigation images, images taken during a surgical procedure and real-time microscope images or sensing data. Two other U.S. patent applications and several foreign patent applications for UA-related technology used in Amplio are now pending.
