Steadman Philippon Research Institute Partners with MEI Micro to Advance Precision Medicine
Collaboration aims to redefine accuracy in surgical tools, wearables and performance monitoring through breakthrough MEMS technology
VAIL, COLO., June 30, 2025—Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) today announced a strategic partnership with MEI Micro to develop new technology and product platforms that will help establish new standards in accuracy and precision for a number of applications related to MedTech, healthcare, sports medicine and athletic performance.
The partnership brings together the globally respected research of SPRI, one of the world’s leading institutes of orthopaedics and sports medicine research, with MEI’s expertise in next-generation MEMs (micro-electromechanical systems) inertial sensor technology. The focus will include the development of smart surgical tools, medical-grade wearables and motion capture systems for the assessment and continuous monitoring of patients, athletes and military personnel. These systems will feature MEI’s 3DS MEMs technology, which is 80–100 times more accurate than existing consumer- and industrial-grade MEMs inertial sensors currently in use in life science applications including consumer wearables like smart watches and rings.
"There is tremendous potential in this innovative partnership between SPRI and MEI Micro," said Marc J. Philippon, M.D., Managing Partner of The Steadman Clinic and Chairman of SPRI. "Harnessing MEI’s technology will enable us to develop new tools for surgical advancement while fulfilling SPRI’s mission of enhancing the patient’s recovery experience through next-generation solutions."
"SPRI's partnership with MEI Micro will result in the development of a portfolio of healthcare technological advancements," said Dan Drawbaugh, CEO of SPRI. "As SPRI expands its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, there is a natural synergy with MEI Micro’s technologies for precision-based solutions. We look forward to working with MEI Micro to change the shape of personalized healthcare on a global scale."
MEI Micro recently began shipping its first commercial product samples of its navigation-grade 3 degrees of freedom (DoF) MEMs accelerometer platform, which received the Most Innovative Product Award for MEMs at the 2024 Sensors Converge conference. At the 2025 event in June, CEO Louis Ross presented "Next Generation MEMS Inertial for Life Science Applications," and reviewed plans to work closely with SPRI, which has a long history of developing leading-edge approaches to orthopaedic surgery and conducting research to support the care of some of the world’s top professional athletes and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams.
"We look to democratize the use of high-accuracy inertial data", said Louis Ross, CEO and Founder of MEI Micro. "The need for much higher accuracy has been accelerated due to the broad-spread application of artificial intelligence and machine learning, especially at the EDGE, which includes the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)." EDGE computing, also referred to as "TinyML", requires higher accuracy data in order to develop more efficient sensor fusion software and advanced algorithms that can become a catalyst for preventative and predictive, personalized healthcare, medical treatments and assessments. MEMs inertial sensors also provide the ability to continuously track and monitor users, providing a key enabler for telemedicine/telehealth which will lead to lower costs for clinical trials and healthcare in general.
Initial joint efforts will target SPRI's orthopaedic and sports medicine applications, with future development focused on condition-specific technologies to improve treatment outcomes, accelerate recovery and broaden access to next-generation care.
For more information, please contact Lynda Sampson, vice president of external affairs at The Steadman Clinic/SPRI (lsampson@sprivail.org).
VAIL, COLO., June 30, 2025—Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) today announced a strategic partnership with MEI Micro to develop new technology and product platforms that will help establish new standards in accuracy and precision for a number of applications related to MedTech, healthcare, sports medicine and athletic performance.
The partnership brings together the globally respected research of SPRI, one of the world’s leading institutes of orthopaedics and sports medicine research, with MEI’s expertise in next-generation MEMs (micro-electromechanical systems) inertial sensor technology. The focus will include the development of smart surgical tools, medical-grade wearables and motion capture systems for the assessment and continuous monitoring of patients, athletes and military personnel. These systems will feature MEI’s 3DS MEMs technology, which is 80–100 times more accurate than existing consumer- and industrial-grade MEMs inertial sensors currently in use in life science applications including consumer wearables like smart watches and rings.
"There is tremendous potential in this innovative partnership between SPRI and MEI Micro," said Marc J. Philippon, M.D., Managing Partner of The Steadman Clinic and Chairman of SPRI. "Harnessing MEI’s technology will enable us to develop new tools for surgical advancement while fulfilling SPRI’s mission of enhancing the patient’s recovery experience through next-generation solutions."
"SPRI's partnership with MEI Micro will result in the development of a portfolio of healthcare technological advancements," said Dan Drawbaugh, CEO of SPRI. "As SPRI expands its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, there is a natural synergy with MEI Micro’s technologies for precision-based solutions. We look forward to working with MEI Micro to change the shape of personalized healthcare on a global scale."
MEI Micro recently began shipping its first commercial product samples of its navigation-grade 3 degrees of freedom (DoF) MEMs accelerometer platform, which received the Most Innovative Product Award for MEMs at the 2024 Sensors Converge conference. At the 2025 event in June, CEO Louis Ross presented "Next Generation MEMS Inertial for Life Science Applications," and reviewed plans to work closely with SPRI, which has a long history of developing leading-edge approaches to orthopaedic surgery and conducting research to support the care of some of the world’s top professional athletes and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams.
"We look to democratize the use of high-accuracy inertial data", said Louis Ross, CEO and Founder of MEI Micro. "The need for much higher accuracy has been accelerated due to the broad-spread application of artificial intelligence and machine learning, especially at the EDGE, which includes the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)." EDGE computing, also referred to as "TinyML", requires higher accuracy data in order to develop more efficient sensor fusion software and advanced algorithms that can become a catalyst for preventative and predictive, personalized healthcare, medical treatments and assessments. MEMs inertial sensors also provide the ability to continuously track and monitor users, providing a key enabler for telemedicine/telehealth which will lead to lower costs for clinical trials and healthcare in general.
Initial joint efforts will target SPRI's orthopaedic and sports medicine applications, with future development focused on condition-specific technologies to improve treatment outcomes, accelerate recovery and broaden access to next-generation care.
For more information, please contact Lynda Sampson, vice president of external affairs at The Steadman Clinic/SPRI (lsampson@sprivail.org).