Endotracheal intubation is a critical but complex medical procedure where a clinician must navigate a breathing tube into a patient’s trachea, often under pressure and with limited visibility. In emergency settings or in patients with difficult anatomies, misplacement of the tube can lead to severe complications such as hypoxia, aspiration, or trauma.
TurningMode, recognised an opportunity to improve patient safety and procedural accuracy. The team spent 12 months developing an innovative concept: a curved aluminium stylet designed to support intubation tube insertion, with an integrated camera and light source at the distal tip to provide real-time imaging inside the patient’s airway. Their goal was to create a device that offered clinicians direct visual guidance throughout the intubation process, all without requiring a separate video system.
They turned to 42T to develop a physical prototype that could be used to support stakeholder engagement.
The real-world challenge
Traditional methods of intubation often rely on blind or tactile-only insertion or the use of external laryngoscopes. Even with camera-assisted systems, many place the visual aid at the tip of the endotracheal tube, limiting manoeuvrability and offering suboptimal views of the tracheal pathway.
The LARi demonstrator rethinks this setup by embedding a camera and light source directly at the tip of a curved aluminium stylet. This design allows clinicians to “see around corners,” improving navigation toward the carina with significantly enhanced control..
An intense development sprint
42T was brought in to finalise the development of the LARi device. Our cross-functional team applied fast iteration cycles, usability validation, and in-house electronics development to rapidly evolve the product from a concept into a fully working demonstrator.
What we did
Engineering excellence under pressure
Despite complex requirements and a tight deadline, the team delivered a demonstrator that surpassed initial expectations. Highlights included:
Improved safety and speed – Clearer navigation reduced the time and uncertainty associated with intubation.
Cross-Atlantic coordination – Tight project management overcame time zone and material availability issues.
In-house system integration – Electronic and software alignment enabled reliable video streaming and system responsiveness.
Results for our client
This project is a showcase of 42T’s ability to deliver complex, high-performance medical devices under ambitious timelines.
Bringing together electronics, usability and design into a solution that’s as functional as it is forward-looking.
What we delivered
- Fully integrated demonstrator – Featuring the curved aluminium stylet and endoscope with embedded camera and light designed by TurningMode, with an attached screen for real-time visualisation.
- Multidisciplinary engineering – Fast-tracked electronics, industrial design, and human factors integration in a single cohesive build.
- Validated usability – Rapid ergonomic testing ensured intuitive design and ease of use in high-pressure clinical environments.
- Stakeholder-ready output – The demonstrator was built not just for technical feasibility, but for communication and engagement with key healthcare decision-makers.
Impact: A platform for future medical innovation
The demonstrator is now being actively used to engage central medical stakeholders and explore commercial pathways. Its success validates a new approach to airway management and underscores the role of thoughtful design in improving clinical outcomes.
Showcasing LARi at CES 2025
42T launched the LARI demonstrator: a breakthrough, video-capable medical device, at CES 2025. Designed to improve the speed and safety of patient intubation in surgery and emergency care, LARi is a low-cost, single-use video stylet that works exactly like the conventional intubation stylets routinely used by anaesthetists. It helps shape endotracheal tubes (ETT) and guide them through a patient’s vocal cords.
Crucially, the device integrates seamlessly into existing clinical workflows, providing a real-time video feed of the intubation process. This visibility enables clinicians to navigate difficult airways more easily and ensure correct ETT placement.
LARi is the first video stylet designed from the ground up to work with standard anaesthetic equipment. It provides a continuous, real-time view of the entire procedure, displayed either on a laryngoscope-mounted screen or an external monitor. The system is simple to use, requires no additional training, and enhances both the speed and accuracy of intubation.