Hospital robotics · Sterilisation automation
Robotics to automate surgical instruments sterilisation in hospitals
Sterilisation is a critical step in surgery: no procedure can begin without instruments correctly sterilised and assembled into specific kits.
Yet it remains a largely manual process, often requiring night shifts to meet the next morning's surgical schedule and placing significant strain on operators.
At Opifer, we are building a robotic solution to automate the bottleneck of the sterilisation process: instruments inspection and kits assembly.
Incubated at Arts et Métiers, one of France's leading engineering schools, in Paris
Why it matters
We are addressing 4 urgent needs of Central Sterile Services Departments
01
Improve productivity and compensate for performance variability across operators
Training an autonomous operator takes 6 to 12 months, yet staff turnover remains high. This creates significant performance gaps between operators, making scheduling less predictable and increasing risk of errors.
02
Reduce errors, standardise quality and ensure traceability
Error rates in kit composition — missing instruments, defects, residual contamination — can reach up to 2% of all procedures, causing delays in the OR, and tensions in the team. Quality checks and traceability are bith performed manually, with methods and judgements varying widely between operators.
03
Meet growing demand for personalised instrument kits from surgeons
Surgeons require customised kits based on personal preference and training, and expect shorter turnaround times to chain procedures in a single day.
04
Absorb the workload generated by robotic surgery
Surgical robotics delivers great value to patients, but requires a dedicated reprocessing cycle and can significantly multiply the sterilisation workload compared to the same conventional procedure.
The name
What does Opifer mean?
Opifer is a Latin epithet meaning "bringer of help" — from ops (aid, resources) and ferre (to bring). In Roman mythology, it was the title given to Asclepius, son of Apollo and god of medicine, who was called deus opifer — the helper god — because he drove away disease and healed men.
We chose this name because it captures what we believe robotics should do in healthcare — not replace human care, but bring help where it is needed most and allow the medical personnel to focus on the patients.
Asclepius, deus opifer
Contact
Interested in automation?
Whether you are the head of a sterilisation department, a hospital manager, a medical professional, or a robotics enthusiast — interested to learn more about the solution or to get onboard this adventure, we'd love to hear from you.