Six innovative Amsterdam medtech apps putting healthcare at your fingertips
We’re probably more aware than ever of our health and wellbeing. These apps, VR games and smart devices from Amsterdam are helping us (and our doctors) keep track of how we’re doing.
Medtech in Amsterdam
Medtech companies in the Amsterdam Area are making healthcare more effective, personalised and accessible. And the region’s hyper-connected life sciences industry means companies will easily find hospitals and research centres to trial the latest innovations.
Asthmaware, listed below, is speeding up development thanks to a €300,000 injection from the North Holland Innovation Fund, which helps entrepreneurs finance innovations in the proof-of-concept phase. Read more about this potentially life-saving device, and more exciting medtech innovations from Amsterdam:
Asthmaware
Asthmaware’s smart T-shirt aims to be a convenient and comfortable asthma monitoring device for children. The shirt is fitted with electrodes that measure breathing during sleep to detect signs of an asthma attack, which are more likely to strike at night. The connected app lets parents know if the child is experiencing symptoms and the resulting dataset can help doctors personalise therapy with the least amount of medication possible. Its recent funding boost will include a pilot study in two Dutch hospitals and development of a new algorithm.
Clear.
Recently named one of the most innovative AI companies in Amsterdam and one of the city’s hottest startups by Wired, Clear measures blood glucose levels in real-time to help manage weight and energy levels. Using a chip-implanted arm patch and an app, it reads your biological response to what you eat and finds the best way for you to fuel your body, without the calorie dodging.
NeuroReality
Founded by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam graduate Faviola Dadis, NeuroReality believes playful yet intensive, repetitive and personalised brain training can improve rehabilitation after brain injury. The company developed Koji’s Quest, a Virtual Reality game that leads players through a series of increasingly difficult tasks with the help of canine companion Koji. The goal of the game, besides having fun, is improving cognitive functions such as calculation, attention, visuospatial abilities and much more. Right now, NeuroReality is studying the use of VR for long-Covid rehabilitation.
Niluk
VU Amsterdam startup Niluk wants you to spend less time on your phone. Unusual for a social app, sure, but its goal is to get us reconnected IRL. Niluk’s team found loneliness was becoming a serious mental health issue among young adults, so created an online app for offline connections. In 2018, it partnered with the City of Amsterdam and the app was released in June 2021. Niluk helps users find new friends based on common interests and proximity. Connections then receive a notification when a new friend is about to do something fun so they can easily join.
Reducept
Could this be a game changer for patients with chronic pain? Reducept is a mobile app and VR headset that uses brain-training techniques, immersive mini games, and a visual journey through the nervous system to help patients easily understand how pain works and affects their body (plus laser guns to zap their symptoms). Reducept says it has helped more than 2,500 patients in the Netherlands learn more about their pain and get better control over their lives. It recently became an integral part of the treatment offered by VNN in Groningen for patients addicted to opioid painkillers.
SkinVision
When is a mole a sign of a more serious problem? And when is it just a mole? The Amsterdam-based SkinVision app combines highly accurate AI technology with the expertise of dermatologists to help spot the first signs of possible skin cancer through users’ images and regular monitoring. Today SkinVision has more than 2 million users, carried out 2.9 million skin checks and detected 49,000 skin cancers. Its technology has been recognised by health insurance providers and charities around the world as the first line of defence against skin cancer.
The Amsterdam Area is one of the leading centres in Europe for life sciences and health. It’s home to the European Medicines Agency, internationally renowned universities and specialised research centres. Surrounded by a buzzing tech and AI industry, startups and companies in Amsterdam are well equipped to meet the health challenges of the future through digital solutions.
Important: While some apps and technologies are certified medical devices, it’s always recommended to speak to a doctor if you have health concerns. Some of the apps listed above are only available through a prescription from a doctor.