In Conversation with the Health Innovator: Moises Barbera, Founder of Drill Surgeries Ltd

In each edition we delve into the minds of those who are redefining the boundaries of health. Our goal is to share the insights and stories of those leading the way to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for everyone.

In this edition of Health Innovation Insider we speak to Moises Barbera Ramos about his journey into the world of health innovation with the success of Drill Surgeries Ltd.

Could you please describe your journey into the world of health innovation- was there a problem you were trying to solve when you began Drill Surgeries?

I grew up around hospitals, my dad was a medical equipment salesman and I spent every afternoon after school in or around an operating room surrounded by surgeons. I knew the name of most implants and how to operate major trauma operations before I turned 10 years old but felt frustrated at the way hospitals work as a result. I eventually went off to university, graduating with a Master’s with honours in theoretical and computing physics but I soon changed the equations on the blackboard for algorithms on a screen, building a career developing AI and tracking algorithms for Dark Matter research at CERN in Switzerland, for self-driving cars in China and algorithmic trading strategies at J.P. Morgan. Interesting roles but neither fulfilled me.

It was then in Spain, that I bumped into one of the doctors who saw me grow up in his hospital and he asked what I was working on: “I have found a way to navigate cars more efficiently in China” I said, to what he answered: “would it not be good if we could also navigate doctors more efficiently?”

That was my “light bulb” moment. Back in 2018, I started cold calling as many doctors from as many countries as possible to find the biggest problems in trauma surgeries. Once I found out doctors still operate on broken bones using the same techniques developed in the 2nd World War, over 80 years ago, and that the only support they have is hours worth of dangerous radiation and guesswork, it was obvious there was a need for innovation.

The following 5 years reflect that journey towards that innovation, offering today the first solution to operate broken arms and legs in 75% less time, with 60% fewer X-rays and saving hospitals thousands of pounds per operation while improving patient outcomes.

Drill Surgeries is paving the way to a faster, more cost effective and more accurate way of completing surgeries, could you please give us a little insight into some of the technologies that are allowing these advancements?

Operating on broken bones takes 2 hours of guesswork and dangerous radiation. To fix this we have created an AI software running on a Mixed Reality headset that works out where to operate and reduces this to minutes instead of hours.

Our proprietary algorithms leverage the cameras and sensors built-in on mixed-reality headsets to map the whole operating room, identify the type of operation (a.k.a. is it an arm or a leg? Is an intramedullary nail or a plate implant used? Etc.) and then build 3D models in real-time to provide doctors with accurate information of where they need to operate. This technology acts as the surgeon’s second pair of eyes, offering a clearer, more accurate, and safer approach to trauma and orthopaedic surgeries, significantly reducing operating time, radiation and costs while improving patient outcomes.

You’re going into your second round of fundraising now, how will this allow you to develop your cutting edge company further?

We have been very strategic with our fundraising journey, securing investment from Innovate UK Smart Grant and key Angel investors allowed us to develop our technology and secure traction in Europe. Recently we closed a bridge financing round from UC Berkley Skydeck which is significantly supporting our commercial traction.

As we expand our portfolio of supported surgeries and deepen our engagement with commercial partners, the next fundraising round will support our regulatory requirements to launch and fulfil pre-sales agreements. This round is not yet open but anyone wanting to be part of the future of AI in healthcare, using technology to improve the way patients are operated worldwide, they are more than welcome to reach out:

contact@drillsurgeries.com

Drill Surgeries is clearly driving the movement towards AI-driven healthcare which can bring infinite possibilities and improved patient outcomes, however are there any challenges or ethical considerations you have faced so far with Drill Surgeries and, if so, how have you overcome them?

We have been working on our algorithms over the past 5 years, back then AI was just a tool, a means to an end; today it represents a whole market segment that many startups are eager to enter.

Unlike the majority of these new startups, which often rely on general AI models like ChatGPT as wrappers (not built in-house), our focus is on specialised applications that cannot be satisfied by these broader models. In other words, we understand what our AI is designed to do because we created it from the ground up. Additionally, today’s AI landscape is filled with models that offer suggestions based on probabilities, which can sometimes mislead decision-making processes. It’s important to approach such tools with caution, as they are not infallible and still require human oversight.

As we integrate our AI models into hospitals, our commitment is to enhance, not replace, the expertise of medical professionals, ensuring that technology serves as a reliable adjunct to human skill, making their lives easier with confidence not clouding their judgement with probabilities.

It is incredible how far you have come in such a short space of time, what have been the biggest challenges when creating a health startup so early on in your career?

While most of the progress seems fast and effective it represents over five years of cumulative effort to align the technology, team, and market traction. Something that has grown exponentially over the past 12 months.

The first challenge I encountered was persuading stakeholders—both investors and hospital administrators—of the viability and potential global impact of this “crazy” idea from a 20- something-year-old. I would show up to meetings with my suit on and my hair gelled back, travelling across the country for a 10-minute meeting that always ended up the same way: “We have it covered son, you should go back to university”.

Despite these setbacks, I put together the best team possible and we garnered attention from hospitals and doctors internationally. However, the next hurdle was securing sufficient funds to scale our technology.

During that 12-month I was homeless, spending most of my nights living out of the couches of friends and family as well as spending countless cold nights sleeping on benches, train stations and parks. Although I wouldn’t recommend this path, it was a necessary part of my journey to challenge and innovate within the operating room- a journey now supported by governments, investors, universities, hospitals, and leading surgeons worldwide.

Worth it!

Please could you tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

At the age of 10 I discovered magic. Since then, I dreamt about becoming one of the greatest magicians in Spain and by age 18 I did. I had performed at some of the largest stages for tens of thousands of spectators and won the National Championship of Magic, one of the 3 youngest magicians to win this most important accolade since its inception in the 1950s.

This was my passion, creating magic tricks no one else could understand, creating unique sleight of hand techniques (which was quite painful), learning about theatrical structure, stage lighting, music editing and the show business, sales, negotiation, creating a portfolio…I would practise for hours every day, I created my own shows and performed all over Europe.

I would go to school from Monday to Friday, then fly to another country to perform my show and make it back to school on Monday for my exams, this was not uncommon. Eventually, I moved from the stage and its applauding audiences to hospitals filled with patients in need, yet I always keep a deck of cards in my pocket—a reminder that with dedication, the magical can indeed become reality.