S.P.A.T.

S.P.A.T. (Skin Prick Automated Test) is a medical device that performs skin prick tests on allergy patients in a faster and more cost-effective way. The touchscreen, compact housing and intuitive control of the device make it very user-friendly and efficient for both the doctor and the patient. Automating skin prick tests ensures more consistent, accurate and digital test results and also reduces the time it takes for medical staff to administer.

The jury on S.P.A.T.:

A highly relevant product born from a growing problem, where automation is necessary to drastically increase speed and capacity. The simplicity of operation, the clear and unambiguous output, the compactness and mobility of the device make S.P.A.T. widely usable. Due to the exact measurement conditions, the results are extremely reliable.

How did the idea for this project come about?

30% of the world's population suffers from allergies, but 45% of them face an initial misdiagnosis. Hippo Dx, a medtech start-up, was created in 2020 because of the need for automation, standardisation and digitalisation in skin-prick allergy testing. S.P.A.T., an advanced medical device for skin-prick allergy testing was developed by Senne Gorris (ENT physician), Wim Hofkens (mechatronics engineer) and Peter De Roovere (software engineer). S.P.A.T. was developed by physicians and designed for patients and offers faster, more accurate and consistent allergy testing in a cost-effective way.

What makes your project so special?

S.P.A.T. is the first innovative solution that automates the process of skin prick allergy testing and enables the digitalisation of test results. S.P.A.T. performs twelve simultaneous pricks in just ten seconds and takes pictures of the prick sites after fifteen minutes. This results in more consistent and digitalised test results. It reduces variability and human error and helps physicians on the diagnostic path.

How does it contribute to a better world?

The manual skin-prick allergy test hasn't evolved since the 1960s. There was therefore a strong need for automation, standardisation and digitalisation. Our automated system offers a solution to deal effectively with the high workload and shortage of healthcare providers in hospitals. Less time is required of the healthcare staff, so they are given more time to provide optimal care to the patients. In addition, the prick tests are less painful for patients.