In short. We developed a device for post-operative and trauma care that creates controlled local hypothermia to reduce soft-tissue swelling. Ice in an insulated reservoir chills water that is supplied to a heat exchanger at the injury site, and the firmware holds the target temperature. In 12 months and about 3,380 engineering hours the program went from concept to five fully functional prototypes and a clinical trial.
The challenge
Cold therapy helps only if the tissue stays in the target temperature band long enough. The device had to hold that temperature on its own, from a reservoir of melting ice, and the program reached a clinical trial within 12 months.
What we did
Thermal model
We built a thermal-physics model of the device alongside the temperature-holding algorithm.
Control electronics and firmware
An STM32 running FreeRTOS reads the digital thermometer and controls the cooling with a temperature-holding algorithm.
Five functional prototypes
Industrial and mechanical design, assembly and quality documentation, and in-vitro tests with written protocols.
Into the clinic
Prototypes prepared and documented for the clinical trial.
Why it went fast
- A thermal-physics model of the device was built alongside the prototypes.
- The work ran in three phases over 12 months.
- In-vitro test protocols and assembly and quality documentation were prepared together with the prototypes.
And the client only enters the expansive phases once the cheap ones have confirmed the assumption. So, you wouldn’t overspend for unnecessary polishing of something that is not working initially. So that is the main tool for controlling the budget risk.
Related pages
Building something similar?
Tell us what the device has to do. On a short call an engineer will walk you through the risks we saw on this project and how they apply to yours.
Sources
- OVA Solutions project records, 2023 to 2024
- OVA Solutions project portfolio, 2026
Client names are not disclosed. Updated on October 9, 2026.