The project “Surgical Intelligent Torque Limiting System: From a Simple Instrument to an Intelligent Helper in the Operating Room (CiD)” was carried out from 1 November 2019 to 31 August 2022 under the grant number 13FH5K02IA from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The work was executed by Weber Instrumente GmbH & Co. KG in Emmingen‑Liptingen, with academic and industrial partners Hochschule Furtwangen, Asanus GmbH and the consortium CoHMed – Connected Health in Medical Mountains. Project leader Uli Kammerer coordinated the effort.

The scientific aim was to evolve a conventional torque‑measuring instrument through five innovation stages, from a purely mechanical tool to a fully patient‑adaptive, intelligent device. The original plan envisaged a linear progression, but practical constraints—particularly the need for a robust, heat‑stable power source that could survive silicone embedding and repeated sterilisation—led to a reorganisation into three parallel development lines.

The first line produced a passive ultra‑high‑frequency (UHF) RFID tag embedded in the soft grip of the instrument. The tag stores a unique identification code (UDI) and other static data. Successful integration into various grip shapes, including mechanical fixation structures, was achieved, and thermal isolation was verified. A long‑term functional test covering approximately 1 000 sterilisation cycles is ongoing beyond the project’s end.

The second line focused on a high‑frequency (HF) RFID chip combined with a microcontroller unit (MCU) and temperature sensor, forming a sterilisation logger that can be read via near‑field communication (NFC). Several commercially available HF‑RFID chips were evaluated, and custom‑printed circuit boards were fabricated. The design ensures adequate thermal isolation while maintaining antenna performance even when in contact with metal. Depending on the number of batteries, the logger can record sterilisation events for two to four years. NFC reading remains possible after the instrument has been sterilised.

The third line developed an active torque‑measurement module based on strain‑gauge technology. The module provides real‑time torque data and can be wirelessly transmitted to standard tablets or smartphones, replacing a proprietary base station. A process failure‑mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and a risk assessment were carried out for the use case. The optimized prototype is compatible with software developed at Hochschule Furtwangen that performs patient‑specific optimisation of the target torque for bone screws during insertion, offering additional intelligent support functions for the operating‑room team.

Overall, the project delivered three complementary technologies that together enable a fully integrated, intelligent torque‑limiting system. The passive RFID tag ensures reliable instrument identification, the sterilisation logger provides traceability over multiple cycles, and the active torque sensor delivers precise, real‑time feedback that can be customised to individual patient needs. The collaboration between the industrial partner, the university, and the health‑tech consortium facilitated the rapid translation of these concepts into prototypes that meet the stringent requirements of surgical instrumentation, including heat stability, sterilisation resilience, and wireless connectivity.