The miniLiVE project, funded under the FH‑Impuls 2016 I grant (13FH5E04IA) and led by Prof. Dr. Mike Fornefett of Hochschule Furtwangen, aimed to create a miniaturised light‑and‑video unit that enables a wireless, network‑capable medical video endoscope. The work was carried out within the CoHMed consortium, which focuses on digitalisation and miniaturisation in medical technology. Key partners included Kiehn Engineering Services GmbH (KES), responsible for the hardware development of the video module, EMOS Technology, which handled heat dissipation, illumination, power supply integration and sensor placement in the endoscope shaft, and the Institute for Experimental Endoscopy, Development and Training (EEET) at the University of Tübingen, which provided user testing and evaluation facilities. The project spanned from 2016 to 2023, culminating in a final report issued on 30 June 2023.

Technically, the project delivered a fully functional wireless endoscope prototype. The design places a high‑intensity LED and the necessary electronics—battery, charging coils, antenna and control circuitry—inside the handle, while the distal tip contains the imaging sensor. Wireless transmission of video data to a workstation or mobile device is achieved over a dedicated radio link, eliminating the cable that traditionally carries both power and illumination. The prototype was evaluated in realistic operating‑room scenarios using anatomical models. Five context interviews with physicians, a nurse and a service technician yielded 68 usage requirements and 78 system requirements, which guided the development of a user‑scenario model for wireless endoscopy. The evaluation demonstrated that wireless operation significantly increases flexibility, allowing rapid repositioning of the device, and revealed ergonomic improvements that were incorporated into a second demonstrator iteration.

Software development was a parallel effort. A client application was created to receive, decode and display the video stream over the wireless network. Image‑management software handled data reception and forwarding, while an image‑processing algorithm was designed to operate within the constraints of low power consumption, minimal weight and limited bandwidth. The software also incorporated security measures to protect data transmission. The system’s usability was validated through formative studies with medical specialists in a near‑realistic operating‑room environment, confirming that the wireless endoscope met the identified requirements and that the user interface on both the handle and the workstation was intuitive.

The project’s risk assessment identified potential challenges in wireless reliability, power management and data security, and addressed them through robust protocol design and hardware redundancy. The integration of illumination and power supply by EMOS Technology ensured efficient heat dissipation, maintaining safe operating temperatures for the endoscope shaft. The collaboration with EEET at Tübingen provided critical feedback from end users, enabling iterative refinement of both hardware and software components.

Overall, the miniLiVE project achieved its primary objectives: a validated wireless video endoscope prototype, a comprehensive set of usage scenarios, and a functional software stack for data handling and display. The partnership structure—combining academic research, industrial engineering, and clinical testing—enabled rapid translation from concept to demonstrator. The results lay a foundation for further development toward a market‑ready product, with potential applications across a range of minimally invasive procedures.