Ergotrics
Co-inventing a patented, certified patient-positioning system — a decade of co-development with Ergotrics
Case Overview
Voxdale co-invented and productised Ergotrics' inflatable patient-positioning technology — from first principle through patent and medical-device validation — in a partnership running since 2014.
Sector
MedTech · Patient positioning · Medical devices
Client
Ergotrics BVBA, a MedTech company specialising in safe patient positioning using inflatables and compressed air
Product
Inflatable positioning system (incl. DuoRoll) that repositions patients during surgery and lets the anaesthetist fine-tune position for intubation, without ergonomic strain on nursing staff
Voxdale's role
Co-inventor of the core technology; core production technology, materials, valves and peripherals; ongoing development, prototyping and testing
Technologies
Core inflatable technology, materials, valves, peripherals and multiple product derivatives
How we worked
Started as a small exploratory collaboration in 2014; grew into a decade-long, still-active co-development partnership
Hardest challenge
First proving inflatables could deliver the required positioning function, then carrying the product through medical-device regulation and certification
Outcome
Patented core technology (BE1026100B1); a verified and validated product family; a partnership still active today.
Case Overview
Voxdale co-invented and productised Ergotrics' inflatable patient-positioning technology — from first principle through patent and medical-device validation — in a partnership running since 2014.
Sector
MedTech · Patient positioning · Medical devices
Client
Ergotrics BVBA, a MedTech company specialising in safe patient positioning using inflatables and compressed air
Product
Inflatable positioning system (incl. DuoRoll) that repositions patients during surgery and lets the anaesthetist fine-tune position for intubation, without ergonomic strain on nursing staff
Voxdale's role
Co-inventor of the core technology; core production technology, materials, valves and peripherals; ongoing development, prototyping and testing
Technologies
Core inflatable technology, materials, valves, peripherals and multiple product derivatives
How we worked
Started as a small exploratory collaboration in 2014; grew into a decade-long, still-active co-development partnership
Hardest challenge
First proving inflatables could deliver the required positioning function, then carrying the product through medical-device regulation and certification
Outcome
Patented core technology (BE1026100B1); a verified and validated product family; a partnership still active today.
Case Overview
Voxdale co-invented and productised Ergotrics' inflatable patient-positioning technology — from first principle through patent and medical-device validation — in a partnership running since 2014.
Sector
MedTech · Patient positioning · Medical devices
Client
Ergotrics BVBA, a MedTech company specialising in safe patient positioning using inflatables and compressed air
Product
Inflatable positioning system (incl. DuoRoll) that repositions patients during surgery and lets the anaesthetist fine-tune position for intubation, without ergonomic strain on nursing staff
Voxdale's role
Co-inventor of the core technology; core production technology, materials, valves and peripherals; ongoing development, prototyping and testing
Technologies
Core inflatable technology, materials, valves, peripherals and multiple product derivatives
How we worked
Started as a small exploratory collaboration in 2014; grew into a decade-long, still-active co-development partnership
Hardest challenge
First proving inflatables could deliver the required positioning function, then carrying the product through medical-device regulation and certification
Outcome
Patented core technology (BE1026100B1); a verified and validated product family; a partnership still active today.
Executive Summary
Ergotrics set out to replace the manual labour of positioning patients with a system built on inflatables and compressed air — better support for patients, less ergonomic burden for nursing staff, and repositioning that surgeons and anaesthetists can adjust in real time.
The idea began with surgeon Paul De Pauw in 2014. Voxdale came in at the very start and became co-inventor of the core technology, developing the production technology, materials, valves and peripherals from scratch.
The hardest work was twofold: first proving an inflatable could reliably deliver the positioning function, then bringing it through medical-device regulation and certification as a verified, validated product.
The result is a patented core technology (BE1026100B1) and a product family that reached the market — and a co-development relationship still running today.
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Client Context
Ergotrics BVBA is a MedTech company specialising in safe patient positioning.
Instead of manual handling, it uses inflatables and compressed air to position and support patients — allowing the surgeon to reposition the patient during a procedure for better access, and the anaesthetist to inflate and deflate until reaching the ideal position for intubation, fitted to each individual patient.
The stated benefits are better patient outcomes, greater efficiency, and a healthier work environment for medical staff who are otherwise exposed to repetitive ergonomic strain.
The company grew out of a clinical idea from surgeon Paul De Pauw in 2014: that inflatables could be used to position patients in a hospital setting. When that idea needed to become a real, engineered product, Ergotrics and Voxdale began working together — a collaboration that has continued ever since.
Client Context
Client Context
The technical brief
Prove that inflatables and compressed air can deliver controlled, reliable patient positioning in a clinical setting
Develop the core production technology, materials, valves and peripherals for a manufacturable device
Enable intra-operative repositioning by the surgeon and fine inflation/deflation control for the anaesthetist
Fit a wide range of individual patients
Carry the product through medical-device verification, validation and certification
The technical brief
The technical brief
The Harder, Less Obvious Part
An unproven working principle. No established product proved inflatables could achieve the required positioning function safely. The core concept itself had to be validated before productisation could even begin.
Medical-device regulation on a novel technology. Materials, safety, and production technology all had to satisfy medical-device regulation and certification — for a device type without an obvious predicate. [TO CONFIRM: MDR vs MDD timeline, device class, notified body]
Patient variability. The system had to fit each unique patient and be adjustable in real time by different clinical users (surgeon, anaesthetist) during a live procedure.
A concept that had to become a product family. The initial idea spawned many derivatives; the core technology had to be robust and general enough to carry them.
The Harder, Less Obvious Part
The Harder, Less Obvious Part
What Voxdale Delivered
Voxdale engineered five generations of the C2K device in direct co-development with ITM's clinical research team.
Co-invention of the core technology. Starting from De Pauw's 2014 concept, Voxdale became co-inventor of Ergotrics' core technology. This is reflected in patent BE1026100B1.
Core production technology. Voxdale developed the production technology for the inflatable system — the methods by which the inflatable elements are made to a repeatable, medical-grade standard.
Materials. Selection and validation of the materials for the inflatable body and contact surfaces, against safety, durability and (later) biocompatibility/medical requirements.
Valves and pneumatics. Development of the valve system enabling controlled inflation and deflation — the mechanism that lets the anaesthetist reach and hold the ideal position.
Peripherals. The surrounding components that turn the core inflatable into a usable clinical product.
Product derivatives. From the initial idea, Voxdale and Ergotrics developed, prototyped and tested many product applications — including the DuoRoll.
Verification and validation for certification. Voxdale supported bringing the product through medical-device regulation with a verified and validated design — covering materials, safety and production technology.
What Voxdale Delivered
What Voxdale Delivered
How We Worked
The engagement began in 2014 as a small, exploratory collaboration to investigate the surgeon's idea, and grew into a long-term co-development partnership that is still active.
The engagement began in 2014 as a small, exploratory collaboration to investigate the surgeon's idea, and grew into a long-term co-development partnership that is still active.
The defining feature of this project is duration: a relationship measured in years and multiple product generations, not a single hand-over.
How We Worked
How We Worked
The Hardest Challenge — and How We Solved It
The challenge. Proving an unproven principle — that inflatables could reliably position patients — and then carrying that principle through medical-device regulation to a certified product.
Why it was difficult. The functionality had to be demonstrated before anyone could trust it clinically; then the same novel technology had to satisfy medical-device requirements on materials, safety and production, with limited precedent to lean on.
What would not work. Treating it as a standard mechanical product would have missed both the validation-of-principle step and the regulatory burden that a patient-contacting, clinically-used device carries.
What we changed:
Validate the principle first. Early exploratory work focused on proving the inflatable could achieve the required positioning function before committing to productisation.
Engineer for regulation from the materials up. Materials, safety and production technology were developed with certification in mind, not retro-fitted.
Build a general core, then derivatives. The core technology was made robust enough to spawn multiple products.
The Hardest Challenge — and How We Solved It
The Hardest Challenge — and How We Solved It
Outcome
Co-invented, patented core technology (BE1026100B1)
A verified and validated product family, including the DuoRoll
A co-development partnership active from 2014 to today
Outcome
Outcome
What This Proves for Similar Teams
This case is for MedTech founders and clinicians with an early idea and no proven product path.
It shows Voxdale can start at first principle — co-inventing the technology — and stay through invention, materials, production, and medical-device certification, across many years and product generations.
What This Proves for Similar Teams
What This Proves for Similar Teams
Have an early MedTech idea with no proven product path yet?
Voxdale co-invents from first principle — staying with you through validation, materials, production, and medical-device certification, across years and multiple product generations if needed. Explore our Life Sciences & Medical capabilities or contact us to discuss your idea.
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© 2026 Voxdale BV
© 2026 Voxdale BV
© 2026 Voxdale BV