Brainlab spawns Snke OS for surgery tech

Brainlab’s new offshoot, Snke OS, will enable third parties to develop tech applications on top of its platform. Snke OS will give start-ups, partners and competitors a base on which to build surgical solutions, without having to start from the ground up.

At its core, Brainlab’s technology helps surgeons to plan and navigate procedures. It brings together patient data, robotic assistance and image-guided surgery. Its solutions can be used in a wide-range of highly complex fields such as neurosurgery. Its demonstration of its AR capabilities was one of the highlights at Webit 2019 Health Summit.

Andreas Giese, Managing Director, Snke OS, explains: “The physical and organisational separation from Brainlab facilitates the expanded and dynamic development of our software architecture, which in turn expands its utility to a much broader spectrum of clinical challenges. Snke OS will deliver universal functionality across the healthcare data economy.”

The Snke OS technology creates a very precise digital representation of each patient, which then enables accurate surgical navigation and verification. Snke OS uses open interfaces, making it possible for other companies to integrate their own solutions for imaging, navigation, robotics, cloud computing, AI and mixed reality. This expands the platform’s utility and opportunities in other surgical specialties like heart, liver, craniomaxillofacial, spine, and ear, nose and throat (ENT), as well as in oncology.

The company already employs 65 in its new office, and is actively searching for talent, especially in AI.

Founded by CEO Stefan Vilsmeier in Munich, Germany, in 1989, Brainlab now employs 1,400 people in 18 offices around the world, and serves clinicians in 5,500 hospitals in 116 countries.