A smart hammer that provides orthopaedic surgeons with objective, reliable estimates of implant stability is nearing its commercial launch.
This innovative technology combines an AI-driven decision-support system with a traditional surgical hammer, fitted with sensors and embedded signal-processing software. The smart tool also aims to reduce operating time.
The aptly named SmartHammer addresses the unmet clinical need for a direct estimate of implant stability during surgery.
It features a sensor that measures the resonance frequency of the bone-implant system upon impact.
The EU-funded Impactor project was launched in 2022 to develop this instrumented hammer. By financing initial lab prototypes and expanding the research team, Impactor played a vital role in establishing the French spin-off ImpacTell.
The company is currently taking steps towards commercialising its instrumented hammers.
The score derived from this measurement allows surgeons to monitor the bone-implant interface during implantation and detect fractures that may not be visible to the naked eye.
Besides real-time fracture detection, the device provides an impartial and accurate quantitative estimate of implant stability, requiring no additional action from the surgeon, unlike vibration techniques.
Researcher Guillaume Haiat of the Impactor project coordinator French National Centre for Scientific Research, said: ‘The measurement is instantaneous since it is performed during the same impact as that applied to drive the implant into the bone.’
He added that surgeons remain in control of their final decision, as the measurement does not alter the surgical protocol.
Surgeons on ImpacTell’s scientific advisory board estimate a reduction of 10-20% in the time needed to insert implants, and even greater if cemented prostheses are avoided since this eliminates cement drying time.
Since its establishment in 2022, the company has raised over EUR 900,000 through grants, capital increases, and convertible bonds.
These funds have been used to finalise the development of the SmartHammerof, with the objective to acquiring the CE mark, indicating conformity with European health, safety and environmental protection standards, by the end of 2026.
