Wireless Innovation, Made in China: InSight Medical Ushers in a New Era of Wireless Minimally Invasive Surgery

In March 2024, the last “iron lung” patient passed away. He lay inside an iron cylinder that assisted his breathing for 72 years, with only his head free to move—a existence that could perhaps be described merely as “surviving.” This iron tank was, in fact, an early form of ventilator.

Since the advent of the “positive pressure ventilator” in 1952, the iron lung has become a thing of the past. Modern ventilators are only about the size of a rice cooker; patients can use them by wearing a respiratory mask or by having a tube inserted through the mouth and nose, without any significant disruption to their daily lives. Ventilators have thus transitioned from clinical settings to home use.

Lightweight and portable design, precise performanceThis trend of iterative development does not constitute a revolution in ventilator technology; in fact, it represents the core logic driving innovation across all medical devices. Riding this wave, a group of Ph.D. candidates from Shanghai Jiao Tong University set their sights on endoscopes, determined to “cut the cord” and liberate them from the constraints of wired connections.

In 2019, China released the National Key Research and Development Program"R&D of Digital Diagnostic and Therapeutic Equipment"Key Special Project: Dr. Meng Fan, a graduate of the Instrument Science and Technology program at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, saw this as an opportunity.

In this special program, the research and development of a general-purpose image processing module dedicated to endoscopic CMOS sensors was established as an independent project, which aligns perfectly with Dr. Meng Fan’s research focus. Dr. Meng has been devoted to the R&D of endoscopic imaging for over a decade. In his view,Being selected for the special program not only allows us to contribute to the “domestic substitution” of endoscopes, but more importantly, enables extensive collaboration and exchange with talents both within and outside the industry.

There was a mandatory requirement for participating in the special program: registration had to be made in the name of a company. To secure eligibility, Dr. Meng convened several former classmates and senior/junior fellow students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The group quickly reached an agreement and immediately established a company, which later became the predecessor of InSightFly.

Leveraging the team’s scientific research capabilities and practical experience, they were successfully selected for the special program. During the three-year research period, Dr. Meng’s team consolidated cutting-edge endoscopic imaging technologies and also received numerous “suggestions” from clinicians:“Future endoscopes will undoubtedly evolve toward miniaturization and portability.”To achieve a compact and portable design, wireless transmission is the first step. Through continuous experimentation, Dr. Meng Fan led his team to overcome significant challenges and successfully breakthrough4K/HD Imaging, Low-Latency Transmissiontechnical bottlenecks.

Following the successful completion of the National Key Special Project, which received high recognition from both national authorities and the clinical community, we aim to achieve industrialization to serve clinical practice and benefit patients. Upholding the corporate mission of pioneering innovation and advancing healthcare, our team...Suzhou Insaifeyi Medical Technology Co., Ltd. was officially established in 2023, the founding core team has been deeply engaged in the medical device industry for decades, excelling at integrating hard technology with clinical needs to create disruptive new products that achieve clear visualization and operational feasibility in minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment.

With the growing prevalence of the “minimally invasive” concept, the clinical demand for and scope of application of endoscopes are rapidly increasing, making them an indispensable tool for diagnosis and treatment.

In recent years, endoscopes have achieved significant breakthroughs in high-definition imaging and low latency, facilitating the implementation of precision medicine. However, in terms of portability, the bulky main unit remains a “hassle.”

First,Bulky hosts encroach on operating room space., not only affects the comfort of medical staff during operations, but in emergency situations, insufficient space may also hinder the rapid movement and deployment of medical equipment, posing a threat to surgical safety. Additionally, the difficulty in moving large-scale equipment has also affected its utilization rate to some extent, resulting in a waste of medical resources。

Before developing the wireless endoscope, Dr. Meng Fan’s team frequently visited hospitals to observe surgeries in order to understand the most authentic clinical needs. During surgical procedures, “Straighten out the cables!” was a common instruction, highlighting the complex wiring connections of conventional endoscopes.Not only will it affect the flexibility of doctors during operations, and willIncrease the workload of aseptic disinfectionand risks. It may also cause surgical staff to fall and trigger operating room fires, endangering patients' lives during surgical emergencies.

To address the clinical pain points associated with endoscopy,The team spent three years independently developing an ultra-high-definition intelligent wireless endoscopy system.

Shrinking bulky endoscopes to a handheld size is no easy feat. To meet the demands for low latency and ultra-high definition, traditional endoscopes rely on separate chips to drive and support each component. Specifically, one chip handles image acquisition, while another manages signal processing; only through the collaborative operation of multiple chips can the endoscope achieve its full functionality. The simultaneous operation of these multiple chips inevitably results in a bulky host unit and high power consumption.

To reduce the size of the main unit,The InSight Fly team’s primary consideration was to consolidate the functions of multiple chips into a single chip.Dr. Meng Fan stated, “Just as we have transitioned from landline phones to smartphones, we aim to integrate all the functions of traditional endoscopes into a single chip, and even surpass them.”

Through continuous experimentation, the team ultimately integrated the functionalities of multiple chips onto a single compact circuit board, achieving an image feedback system characterized by ultra-low latency, ultra-high definition, and precise fidelity. Notably,InSightFly has achieved independent R&D and in-house production of this core chip., laying a solid foundation for future marketization.

Additionally, from a manufacturing perspective, the InSight Fly team specifically accounted for physicians' ergonomic handling preferences, implementing patented designs in terms of appearance, heat dissipation, and sterilization processing.The console size has also been reduced to one-twentieth that of traditional image processing consoles.

This product enables handheld devices to replace cart-based systems, eliminating the constraints of light source fiber optic cables and camera power cords by integrating the camera and main unit, andBuilt-in Micro Cold Light Source, significantly enhancing the ease of use and comfort for physicians, expanding the application scenarios of endoscopes, achieving compatibility across multiple departments, and improving product utilization rates.

Reducing the size was only the first step; achieving "wireless connectivity" was the key challenge for InSightFly. To realize wireless, zero-latency transmission in the future, the team attempted various advanced technical solutions proposed by countries around the world, but all ended in failure.To achieve low-latency, ultra-high-definition image transmission to high standards, the team independently developed a wireless radio frequency (RF) transmission technology.

This technology not only enables wireless image transmission, allowing surgeons to operate flexibly at the operating table, but also breaks through regional limitations, achieving“Cloud Interaction”, it not only provides real-time technical support for remote expert consultations and surgical guidance but also plays a role in medical education, aligning with national policies to promote the decentralization of healthcare resources.

Dr. Meng Fan told Chengguo Bureau, “According to the test data, the ultra-high-definition smart wireless endoscopy system equipped with our self-developed transmission technology has achieved a leading level in image transmission capability.”

As of press time, the ultra-high-definition intelligent wireless endoscopy system is undergoing registration approval.It is expected to enter the market in the second half of 2024.In addition, Insightra is simultaneously advancing its pipeline of wireless single-use electronic endoscopes, which are about to enter the registration and approval phase.

Currently, InSight Fly has established in-depth collaborations with numerous renowned Grade-A tertiary hospitals in China, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai General Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and the General Hospital of the Eastern Theater Command. The company’s solutions have been extensively piloted and clinically endorsed across various departments, such as urology, obstetrics and gynecology, and orthopedics, at these institutions.

Inscopix completed its angel financing round in the year it was founded. To further advance subsequent product development and regulatory registration, Inscopix initiated a new round of financing in 2024. According to Dr. Meng Fan,A new round of financing is underway, with interested partners already identified.，On the other hand, InSightec also welcomes new partners, looking forward to sparking unique synergies.

In the future, the InSightFly team will continue to dedicate itself to the domestic wireless endoscopy sector, striving to surpass imported alternatives on the foundation of import substitution and propel Chinese-made wireless endoscopes onto the global stage.