What Is TRL and Why Should Hospitals Care?

"TRL 5": if you have read a medical device pitch deck, you have seen this abbreviation. Here is why it matters beyond the pitch deck, and why it should matter to you when choosing technology for your hospital.

01What TRL actually is

Technology Readiness Level is a scale from 1 to 9 that describes how far an innovation has traveled from idea to proven deployment:

• TRL 1-3: research. The idea exists, possibly demonstrated in a lab.
• TRL 4-6: development. Components work; the system is validated in relevant or simulated environments.
• TRL 7-9: deployment. Prototype demonstrated in operational environment; system fully qualified, tested, and in use.

02Why it matters to you

The same device can be presented as "ready" by a company that is actually at TRL 4: meaning it has never been tested in a real clinical environment. The TRL number forces an honest answer to the question: what has actually been proven so far?

03The three questions TRL implies

1. TRL 6+: Has this been tested in a realistic environment: real images, real workflows, real users?
2. TRL 7+: Has it been demonstrated in the operational environment: an actual hospital setting?
3. TRL 8-9: Has it been validated and deployed: is it in clinical use, and what does the evidence say?

04The practical rule

When evaluating medical software or devices, ask for the TRL: and then ask what evidence backs that number. A company at TRL 6 with documented validation tests is a far safer partner than one at TRL 4 with impressive marketing.

We are transparent about our own position on this scale: our surgical devices and AI pipeline are moving from the laboratory and validation stages toward clinical deployment: and we believe that honesty is exactly what hospitals should demand from every vendor.