In recent years, we’ve witnessed the substantial impact artificial intelligence has had on business, information, entertainment, and even health. For about a decade, European health-focused startups seeking to remain competitive have explored AI integration into healthcare services. In Europe, there seems to be present a continuous growth of healthtech startups and their contributions to science, and this article highlights five startups whose innovative solutions based on AI that up until recently seemed like science fiction.
Among these health technology innovations are products that allow non-invasive sleep monitoring from the comfort of home to gather biological data, like those from Onera. Onera enables patients to collect data on their biological functions and movements from their homes using a smart device. Polysomnography, an overnight, non-invasive patient monitoring method that records sleep, breathing, and movement, provides doctors detailed insights into sleep issues. This user-focused solution offers new diagnostic options for clinics and hospitals with limited resources, with AI in Onera’s device facilitating large data storage and analysis.
Image Source: Onera
Another featured innovation is a smart headset that facilitates advanced navigation for the visually impaired, increasing independence. .lumen, a Romanian startup, aims to bridge the mobility gap between the visually impaired and sighted individuals. Their smart headset device employs advanced navigation technology, and founder Cornel Amariei, recognized by Forbes and the Global Business Hall of Fame, has created a device combining guide dog techniques with computer algorithms to offer greater freedom of movement to millions worldwide. The .lumen headset technology uses five cameras continuously capturing the user’s surroundings, with AI analyzing the environment and providing feedback through vibrations and audio signals, simulating guide dog movements. Advanced AI models enable .lumen to scale a solution that could significantly improve mobility for visually impaired individuals globally.
Image Source: .lumen
Further innovations include a platform that transforms medical analytics, providing real health data for precise diagnostics and personalized therapies. Swiss startup SOPHiA GENETICS, under the slogan “Where others see data, we see answers,” transforms health analytics by using AI for deep analysis of complex medical data. Their SOPHiA DDM platform allows doctors and researchers to access real health data across systems through a global data-sharing network. SOPHiA GENETICS aims to give more healthcare facilities worldwide access to data in oncology, rare diseases, genomics, and other fields. The platform’s strength lies in real-time analysis of large datasets, supported by collaborations with industry giants like Microsoft and NVIDIA, ensuring security and scalability. With advanced AI algorithms, SOPHiA DDM isolates critical signals from data noise, enabling accurate diagnostics and personalized therapies.
Image Source: SOPHiA GENETICS
The services also include solutions that accelerate drug discovery by integrating biomedical data. BenevolentAI, a UK-based startup, uses AI to accelerate drug discovery, especially for complex diseases, through the BenAI Engine, which integrates large volumes of biomedical data. This platform enables scientists and biotech companies to explore disease causes and discover new treatment options more swiftly from fragmented data. BenevolentAI’s primary advantage is in its custom AI models that help researchers identify patterns across data types, from genomes to molecular studies, giving insights into disease biology. This holistic perspective reduces information silos across therapeutic fields, supporting decision-making throughout research, from hypothesis generation to clinical trials, thus contributing to drug development for complex medical challenges.
Image Source: Techround
The collection of innovations rounds out with a redefined neurotherapy service via a rehabilitation system. MindMaze, one of the first digital neurotherapy startups, focuses on building a universal brain health and recovery platform. Using therapeutic and assessment tools based on medically approved software, interactive content, and proprietary devices, founder Tej Tadi emphasizes, “By decoding the mysteries of the brain, we are not only transforming the lives of people with neurological conditions, but the world as we know it.” Their key product, MindMotion GO, is an FDA-approved, CE-marked neurorehabilitation system that has helped over 3,300 patients in 90 leading centers globally. It allows patients to practice movements through gamified exercises with feedback on movement quality, supporting recovery in various settings. MindMaze also explores multimodal harmonies across neuroscience, computing, analog technology, AI, robotics, computer vision, and engineering, impacting areas from transportation safety and enhanced sports training to universal brain health solutions.
Image Source: MindMaze
The work of these startups could lead to numerous positive impacts, from enhanced safety in transportation and improved training regimens in sports to a universal solution for brain health.
