Waving Goodbye to Contamination: Testing NZTech’s Touchless Technology in the OR 

Picture this: A surgeon mid-procedure needs to pull up an X-ray. Instead of breaking sterility to touch a screen, they simply gesture in the air — and the image appears. No contact, no contamination risk, no interruption to their flow. 

That’s exactly what our surgical teams got to experience yesterday during a hands-on demo with NZ Technologies Inc. (NZTech) in the surgical OR classroom. In collaboration with PHC Ventures, we explored two innovative tools that could transform how we maintain sterility in the OR: TIPSO AirPad™ and HoverTap™ MD. 

These aren’t just fancy gadgets — they’re practical solutions to real challenges. Both systems let clinicians navigate medical images and control equipment without touching anything, even while wearing gloves or working around drapes and liquids. By replacing traditional high-touch surfaces with gesture-based and touchless interfaces, they tackle one of health care’s persistent problems: keeping critical environments truly sterile. 

A 2017 TIPSO usage report from Vancouver General Hospital found that surgeons spent an average of two minutes scrubbing in and out during procedures. By eliminating the need to re-scrub, TIPSO saved approximately eight minutes per surgery — reducing overall procedure time by nearly 12%.  The goal isn’t simply annual hours saved, this improved efficiency can create opportunities to schedule additional procedures. Just as importantly, less time under anesthetic enhances patient safety and recovery. 

See the technology in action on NZTech’s YouTube channel 

“We are always looking for ways to tweak OR workflows and this technology offer an innovative and practical approach to improving efficiency,” says Barb Langlois, Surgery Program Director at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH).  Our surgical staff were genuinely impressed. Conversations quickly turned to how these tools could actually improve daily OR workflows. Thanks to Barb and the Surgery Program team for making this happen — the chance to interact with the technology firsthand made all the difference. 

This demo is part of PHC Ventures’ Commercialization Pathway Program, which supports Canadian health innovators in moving from concept to clinical adoption. Through this program, we help innovators connect with clinical teams to validate their technology in real-world settings. By matching solutions to frontline needs, we accelerate the journey from prototype to proven impact — ensuring that promising ideas translate into better care for patients and providers. 

Big thanks to everyone who joined and shared their insights. We’ll keep you posted as we assess next steps for bringing these innovations into our surgical environments! 

Learn more about the collaboration between PHC Ventures and NZTech here.