NOX: Radiation-Free Guidewire Navigation for Safer Vascular Procedures
Flux Robotics and the University Medical Center Groningen have joined forces in a public-private partnership to develop and validate a radiation-free navigation system for guidewires used during vascular procedures. The NOX project, funded through Health~Holland, combines expertise in medical robotics, magnetic sensing, and clinical validation to advance this innovation from laboratory prototype to clinically validated technology. Every year, thousands of patients in the Netherlands and across Europe undergo complex vascular procedures that rely on fluoroscopy to visualize thin guidewires inside blood vessels. This exposes both patients and medical staff to significant levels of ionizing radiation. In difficult cases, radiation doses can reach the equivalent of 10,000 to 30,000 chest X-rays. For interventional specialists performing these procedures daily, cumulative exposure increases the risk of cataracts, cancer, and musculoskeletal injuries from heavy lead protective equipment.
The NOX system offers an innovative alternative by using magnetic field sensors and intelligent software to track the position of a guidewire in real time, without any radiation. The technology is designed to integrate directly into existing hospital workflows as a compact, table-mounted device. Clinicians can see the guidewire position on screen while navigating through complex vascular anatomy, maintaining full procedural control and accuracy.
Over the course of 24 months, the consortium will develop and test the complete system through three phases: hardware prototyping of the sensor array, development of real-time localization software with a clinical user interface, and validation using anatomical phantoms and cadaveric specimens at UMCG. Key deliverables include a bench-tested prototype, algorithm documentation, a usability-tested interface, and a comprehensive clinical validation report.
