UK health tech business secures £2m government backing to scale world-first AI-powered otoscopic guidance platform

TympaHealth, an ear and hearing health technology provider, has secured a £2m Innovate UK loan to accelerate Tympa Assist, its world-first AI-powered guidance platform. This will empower non-specialist practitioners, including pharmacists and care providers to deliver consistent, high-quality care in community settings, helping to expand access while supporting specialist services.

Central to this innovation is Otoscopy Assist. Its AI-powered guidance operates in real time, automatically assessing image quality and estimating wax levels (identifying as minimal, moderate or substantial) to support more reliable examinations. Where findings suggest a potential need for specialist support, the system highlights this, supporting timely and appropriate onward referral.

The £2m loan will also support the development of clinical diagnostic functions, enabling higher quality decision making in community settings, supporting the NHS ambition to deliver more care through a Neighbourhood Health Service.

The launch comes at a critical time, as healthcare systems continue to look for ways to support patient access and relieve pressure across services, including audiology. TympaHealth’s mission has always been to help address this challenge, to bring high-quality ear and hearing health into communities, provide support and guidance to practitioners, while enabling confident delivery at the frontline.

Dr Krishan Ramdoo, ENT surgeon and founder of TympaHealth, said: 

“AI is often associated with diagnosis, but that’s not where the biggest challenge lies in everyday ear and hearing care. The real need at the frontline is consistency, confidence, and knowing when to escalate. 

“Tympa Assist is the first feature to apply AI across the full ear and hearing health workflow, supporting image quality, wax assessment, audiogram assistance and referral decisions, while keeping clinical judgement firmly in the hands of trained practitioners.”

The system is designed for individuals presenting with non-complex ear and hearing health conditions in primary and community care settings. It is not intended for individuals with known or suspected complex conditions requiring specialist ENT assessment, in line with NHS and ENT guidance.

While some devices on the market describe themselves as AI-enabled otoscopes, these typically focus on isolated features such as image capture guidance or condition-specific diagnostic algorithms, often outside the realities of routine primary care workflows.

In contrast, TympaHealth integrates high-definition digital otoscopy, AI-assisted image capture and wax assessment, hearing screening, microsuction capability, and cloud-based referral pathways into a single, connected platform.