German Design Award 2026 — Excellent Product Design Category: Medical, Rehabilitation and Health Care (Copy)
What if the most effective way to train a surgeon wasn't in an operating room, but in a game? That's not a hypothetical. It's exactly what the Vasoview surgical training simulator makes possible, and on Friday 20 February, you can see it in action on Stand van Nederland, NPO2 at 22:15.
The challenge with surgical training
Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting (EVH) is one of the most technically demanding procedures in cardiac surgery. Surgeons harvest blood vessels from a patient's leg through a tiny incision, using an endoscopic system to cut and seal simultaneously, all while protecting vessel quality for use in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. It requires extreme precision, spatial awareness, and coordination. And getting it wrong has real consequences for patients.
Traditionally, training these skills is costly, limited to clinical environments, and difficult to repeat at scale. There's no safe way to practice on a patient, and simulation options have historically lacked the physical realism needed to build genuine muscle memory.
The solution: a real surgical instrument, reimagined as a game controller
Working with Getinge, Games For Health, and Game Tailors, SPINNOV built the complete hardware system behind the Vasoview simulator, a training environment where surgeons practice EVH using the actual Vasoview Hemopro 2 controller they would use in the operating room, connected to an interactive video game.
The Hemopro 2 is the result of more than 20 years of continuous refinement. Replicating its physical feel, its sensors, its haptic responses, faithfully enough that trainees build real skill and not just game familiarity, was the core engineering challenge.
SPINNOV's contribution covered the full hardware stack: the training console housing the electronics, power systems, and connectivity; a replica Vasoview controller with embedded sensors; haptic feedback calibrated to match the real instrument; and wireless communication tuned for real-time, low-latency data transfer to the game engine. The system runs on a Linux/Raspberry Pi platform, built for reliability and long-term maintainability.
The result is a training simulator that is scalable, repeatable, and data-driven, and that can be used far beyond the walls of a hospital.
See it live
This Friday, Stand van Nederland on NPO2 at 22:15 features the Vasoview simulator, a chance to see how engineering and game design come together to change the way surgeons learn. Don't miss it.
Want to learn more about the project? Read the full case study here.
About the Parties
Getinge
Getinge is a global medical technology company specialising in surgical workflows, intensive care, and life science. The Vasoview Hemopro 2 is their latest generation EVH system, used in coronary artery bypass graft surgery in hospitals worldwide.
Games For Health
Games For Health is a Dutch organisation at the intersection of gaming and healthcare, developing serious game applications that make medical training, rehabilitation, and health education more effective and accessible.
Game Tailors
Game Tailors is a game development studio specialising in serious games, interactive experiences designed with purpose, from training simulations to educational tools.
SPINNOV
SPINNOV is an end-to-end IoT and connected product engineering company based in Veldhoven, in the heart of the Dutch Brainport region. From electronics design and embedded software to cloud platforms and UX, SPINNOV covers the full technical stack needed to bring intelligent, connected products to life, across MedTech, AgriTech, SportsTech, and beyond.
For further questions, please contact:
Chris Heger
SPINNOV
Email: c.heger@spinnov.com