Improving surgical team communication and patient outcomes
Industry
Medical devices
Timeline
2016
Output
Software migration / Component library
Office
Rangle Toronto
Highlights
- Developed neurosurgical medical device software in just 24 weeks
- Improved the existing user interface to highlight hardware upgrades
- Established development practices to improve future time-to-market
The challenge
The Modus V™ is Synaptive’s second generation robotic digital microscope, improving surgical outcomes by reducing manual manipulation and allowing surgeons to keep their hands in the surgical field. This can improve patient outcomes by potentially decreasing the surgery length, and the time the patient is under anesthetic. With major hardware improvements over their first model, the Synaptive team needed software to complement. Rangle stepped in to create an impressive solution in just 24 weeks.
The process
Synaptive had originally considered bringing the software talent needed to build the user interface for the Modus V™ in-house, but they had to build a rapid solution, and trusted their business needs would be better served by partnering with Rangle. Collaborating on the migration and improving the existing Drive software, we worked on an artificial brain to develop Drive 2.0. This informed the approach to user experience design, and ensured developers were building the necessary components to address all identified challenges. In creating software as intuitive and user-focused as their hardware, Synaptive ensured that the Modus V™ could make a real difference for neurosurgeons, their surgical teams, and the patients they treat.
While working together, we helped Synaptive establish components and development practices that they can apply to future software applications and medical devices, potentially decreasing future workload and time to market.
The neurosurgical device
The Modus V™ microscope incorporates state-of-the-art optics and video processing technology to give surgeons an unparalleled view of the surgical field. The optics are mounted to an automated, robotic arm that improves ergonomics for the whole surgical team, refines the workflow, and reduces the number of hands in the surgical field. The optical feed is projected on a high-resolution monitor, giving everyone in the operating room the same view of the procedure—increasing understanding, teamwork and communication.
Rangle’s development approach made it easy to extend our team and was a fantastic complement to our technical capability.
Wes Hodges
Co-founder, Synaptive
The outcome
The Modus V™ can positively impact patient outcomes by reducing recovery time. The microscope allows surgeons to perform less-invasive procedures with the same view of the field that they would have with a larger surgical opening. In partnering with Rangle, Synaptive was able to unite their revolutionary hardware with equally-impressive software. Working together, we built the Drive 2.0 component library in 12 weeks, and the application that consumed the library in a further 12 weeks, despite the complexities of developing neurosurgical medical software. With Agile methods, we were able to deliver on these impressive timelines without sacrificing quality along the way.
This was a true collaboration right from the outset. By establishing an iterative process, we delivered working software in one-week sprints and held demonstrations for key stakeholders. When features needed tweaking or weren’t quite what Synaptive had imagined, it was easy to change and adapt.
Nick Van Weerdenburg
Founder & CEO, Rangle