Even the most powerful AI is only as valuable as its ability to connect with the broader workflow. That’s why our partnerships are so critical. With Barco and SoftAcuity, we transform the surgical display from a passive screen into an interactive assistant that delivers actionable information precisely when and where it’s needed.
Why surgical AI needs compute, connectivity – and partnerships
écrans-chirurgicaux-compatibles-nexxis · surgical · 8 min de lecture
Steering workflows, segmenting tissue, guiding incisions in real time: artificial intelligence is reshaping the operating room. Barco is right there, at the heart of the innovation. We connect visualization, data, workflows, and AI to support clinicians during surgery. But we can’t do it alone. It takes connectivity, compute and strong partners. Here is how recent collaborations with NVIDIA, SoftAcuity and Orsi Innotech help bring AI into real-world practice.
The operating room is becoming an increasingly complex digital environment. Video streams, imaging systems, sensors and other data sources all need to work together seamlessly, with minimal latency and maximum reliability. Barco positions itself as a connectivity platform in this environment. Our Nexxis platform connects a wide range of sources within and across operating rooms, allowing insights to move where they are needed, when they are needed.
NVIDIA enables secure, low-latency AI
Connectivity alone, however, is no longer enough. To make intelligence usable in the operating room, compute power is needed – and in growing amounts, as AI is quickly moving from decision support to real-time guidance.
That is where our partnership with NVIDIA enters the picture. NVIDIA, the world leader in AI computing, delivers a medical-grade, full-stack computing architecture, including the NVIDIA IGX platform and Holoscan. Built on this foundation, we developed Nexxis Compute: a platform that combines real-time edge computing with our Nexxis AV-over-IP routing in a secure environment. Nexxis Compute can run multiple AI applications side by side on one platform, so hospitals are not tied to a single solution. And thanks to our advanced Quality Assurance features, it ensures reliability, which is key in surgical settings.
“When NVIDIA launched its IGX Thor robotics processor for AI-intensive medical applications in late 2025, we immediately integrated it into our medical solutions portfolio,” says Stephanie Dupont, VP Product Management Nexxis. “This collaboration with NVIDIA allows us to deliver high-performance, reliable, and safe AI solutions at the medical edge.”
SoftAcuity: the surgical display as intelligent assistant
NVIDIA platforms are also embedded in Brilliant Assistant, a smart surgical display that Barco developed in close collaboration with US-based partner SoftAcuity.
"Brilliant Assistant is a surgical display equipped with cameras, sensors, microphones, speakers, and web connectivity," explains Bruce Kennedy, SoftAcuity's CEO and CTO. "Think of it as a powerful iPad or smartphone for surgical environments. Users can interact with it via touch or Gen AI-enhanced voice control."
Beyond providing voice access to everyday tools like workflow applications, Brilliant Assistant also serves a canvas for AI insights. AI models running on Nexxis Compute can, for example, enable real-time segmentation, highlighting critical anatomical structures. For example, the AI model can mark connective tissue that needs to be removed or highlight nerves that must be preserved. These insights appear directly on Brilliant Assistant during the procedure, with minimal latency.
Together with Barco, we developed the most advanced surgical solutions in the past. With the help of Barco and NVIDIA, we’re now changing the paradigm in operating rooms.
Orsi Innotech: world-leading AI models
And that’s not all. Barco and NVIDIA also collaborate with Orsi Academy, a global leader in surgical robotics, and its research arm Orsi Innotech.
Orsi pioneered the world's first live co-pilot-assisted robotic surgery and were early adopters of real-time AR-guided procedures. Orsi Innotech focuses on applying computer vision and AI to improve minimally invasive surgery. “We use AI to automatically analyze and interpret videos of operations and generate 3D models that help guide surgical procedures,” explains Dr. Ir. Pieter De Backer, Surgical AI Lead at Orsi Innotech.
These models address real surgical challenges, such as real-time organ segmentation, surgical phase recognition, and augmented reality overlays that project 3D models onto live surgical images. The Brilliant Assistant provides the ideal interface to bring these insights into the operating room.
We’re at a point where computational resources are no longer a bottleneck. That opens an exciting phase for surgery, where augmented intelligence can be integrated into daily practice.
Building the OR of the future together
Barco’s partnerships go well beyond a traditional supplier-customer model. Our teams combine platform technology, clinical insight and go-to-market expertise to co-develop, validate and refine surgical AI solutions.
The collaboration we kicked off with SoftAcuity in 2023 led to the Brilliant Assistant that we launched in 2025. As a foundation partner of Orsi, we support their training facilities with visualization technology and collaborate with ORSI Innotech on research. We are even exploring how to bring Orsi’s surgical co-pilot to market on Brilliant Assistant. In parallel, we work closely with NVIDIA’s Healthcare team to develop, validate and deploy edge AI applications, and to help bring them into real clinical use.
“It’s clear that no single technology, platform, or company can address the complexity of the modern operating room alone,” says Stephanie. “By building an open ecosystem with partners, we can accelerate innovation, deliver real value to clinicians, and ultimately improve patient outcomes."
It’s clear that no single technology, platform, or company can address the complexity of the modern operating room alone. By building an open ecosystem with partners, we can accelerate innovation, deliver real value to clinicians, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
2025 was a milestone year for the ecosystem that Barco Healthcare is building. It was a year of hard work, but also of shared visibility with partners!
In March, for example, we showcased our Brilliant Assistant and Nexxis Compute – and we took the stage! – at NVIDIA GTC. In October, we travelled to Silicon Valley as part of a Belgian economic mission and joined a panel discussion at NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, alongside Kimberly Powell, VP Healthcare at NVIDIA, and Orsi Innotech’s Dr. Pieter De Backer.
