ARspectra and the EIC Accelerator: Seeing Tumours Through AR
ARspectra, a Luxembourg company led by CEO Cedric Spaas, builds medical-grade augmented reality glasses. Its EIC project, FLUAR, promised AR glasses "with integrated high-end NIR sensors and computer vision algorithms" that display fluorescent tumour markers "in the surgeons' direct sight", instead of forcing them to compare images on a monitor with the patient, and aimed "to finalize and validate FLUAR's technical developments and clinical usability", according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,458,000 towards a €3.51 million project from April 2023 to March 2025. The final report says the team shrank the near-infrared imaging module to fit a wearable headset, added onboard computer vision and voice control, built complete FLUAR systems for clinical use and expert feedback, and reached "TRL 7–8, with a fully functional prototype". It passed electrical safety and EMC testing, and its technical file for CE marking under the Medical Device Regulation was compiled. The report states plainly: "The technology is not yet commercially available". Clinical trials "are now being prepared".
Company file
- Legal entity
- ARSPECTRA S.à r.l., Mondercange, Luxembourg
- CEO
- Cedric Spaas
- Launched
- 2018; team working on medical AR since 2013
- Business
- Medical AR headsets for own products and medtech partners
- Validation partner
- Luxembourg Institute of Health
- EIC project
- FLUAR, 1 Apr 2023 to 31 Mar 2025, closed
- EIC funding
- Grant first
Where ARspectra Stands Now
ARspectra's website now leads with an OEM pitch: "Our primary focus is partnering with MedTech innovators to develop advanced medical AR glasses tailored to specific end users". It says it has built more than 20 specialised devices for itself and partners. In November 2024 the company said it had launched two AR products generating revenue in Europe and the US, was raising a €10 million Series A and targeted break-even by 2027, Med-Tech World reported. No closing of that round, no FLUAR trial and no CE mark have been announced.
The record
AR glasses for fluorescence surgery, still before trials
ARspectra finished the FLUAR headset to TRL 7-8 under the EIC project and compiled its CE file. Clinical trials were being prepared at the end of the project; none by ARspectra has been announced since.
- 2013Medical AR work beginsFounding team
- 2018ARspectra launchedLuxembourg
- Oct 2022EIC Accelerator cut-offFLUARgrant first
- Apr 2023EIC project starts€3.51M project€2.46M grant
- Nov 2024Series A soughtBreak-even targeted for 2027€10M
- Mar 2025EIC project endsTRL 7-8; CE documentation compiled
CORDIS, Med-Tech World and ARspectra.
"We are not adapting consumer AR. We are not building one universal headset."
ARspectra, company websiteThe Technology: Fluorescence Without the Tower
In fluorescence-guided surgery, a dye such as indocyanine green lights up under near-infrared light to show tumours, lymph nodes or blood flow. Today's systems use camera towers and screens, the report says. FLUAR puts the camera and display on the surgeon's head, and ARspectra claims it is up to three times more cost-efficient, which would suit smaller hospitals.
The money
EIC grant and the Series A ARspectra sought
ARspectra said in November 2024 it was raising €10M. No closing has been announced. The company describes its earlier growth as bootstrapped through prizes and product sales.
CORDIS; Med-Tech World, November 2024. Values in € millions.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The EIC project
The EU paid 70% of a €3.5M project
The FLUAR project ran from April 2023 to March 2025. CORDIS lists it as closed.
CORDIS project 190144382. Values in € millions.
The project promised to finish the headset and validate its technical performance and usability, and the report documents both, with the CE file compiled. Clinical validation, certification and sales were always to come after the grant. Eighteen months after the project ended, none of those steps has been made public.
- Miniaturised NIR headsetDeliveredTRL 7-8.
- Safety and usability testsDeliveredEMC, safety, usability.
- CE technical fileDeliveredCompiled.
- Clinical trial and CE markUnverifiedNone announced.
The Money
ARspectra says it bootstrapped its development by winning prizes and selling products. Its revenue, whether the €10 million Series A closed, and how it will fund FLUAR's clinical trial are not public.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether FLUAR's clinical trial has started and where, whether a notified body is reviewing the CE file, whether the Series A closed, and whether FLUAR remains ARspectra's own product or part of its partner business are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
The report calls fluorescence imaging increasingly vital in cancer, vascular and reconstructive surgery. A wearable alternative to camera towers could make it cheaper and more widely available. The EIC paid for a working European headset; turning it into a certified product is the step still missing.
What the project promised
A finished, validated AR headset for fluorescence-guided surgery, ready for certification.
What the record shows
A TRL 7-8 prototype and a compiled CE file, with no trial, certification or new funding announced since.
The Verdict
Prototype delivered, product pending
ARspectra did what the EIC grant asked. What happens to FLUAR next, and who pays for it, is not on the public record.
ARspectra and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
Industry
HealthMedical devices
- Focus
- Medical imaging
- Technologies
- Augmented reality
- Computer vision
- Keywords
- Fluorescence-guided surgery
- Cancer surgery
- Near-infrared imaging
- Medical headsets