Lifesaving Lincoln Laboratory device wins 2026 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award

The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) selected AI-GUIDE, a medical device developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), for its 2026 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award. This award recognizes federal laboratories and collaborators who have accomplished outstanding work in the process of transferring technology. With funding from the U.S. Army's Combat Casualty Care Research Program (CCC), Lincoln Laboratory and MGH developed AI-GUIDE and are in the process of transferring the prototype to the startup company AutonomUS Medical Technologies, Inc.

"This recognition reflects what effective technology transfer looks like — aligning the Army's operational need with Mass General's clinical expertise and Lincoln Laboratory's engineering capabilities to deliver a solution with a clear path to impact. The transition to AutonomUS underscores how strong partnerships can carry a technology from development into real-world adoption," says Asha Rajagopal, Lincoln Laboratory's chief technology transfer officer. 

AI-GUIDE's transition to industry promises improved health outcomes for injured service members and civilians. Unlike ultrasound devices typically found in hospitals, AI-GUIDE is small and portable, making it ideal for use in pre-hospital settings. Pairing custom-developed AI software with commercial handheld ultrasound technology, AI-GUIDE helps the user insert a guidewire and catheter into a patient's blood vessel. This capability is especially important for U.S. military medics, who must keep injured soldiers alive in the field — sometimes for days — before they can be evacuated to a hospital. AI-GUIDE allows medics with minimal specialized training to administer medical interventions that would otherwise be impossible outside of the hospital, drastically improving patients’ chances of survival. 

The AI-GUIDE project has served as a framework for effective technology development and transfer. Within just three years, AI-GUIDE went from an idea proposed by CCC to a fully working proof-of-concept technology with its own startup company. Once the prototype was developed, clinical testing at MGH proved its viability, and Lincoln Laboratory and MGH staff then founded AutonomUS Medical Technologies to facilitate the commercialization process. With support from the MIT Technology Licensing Office, Lincoln Laboratory Technology Transfer Office, and CCC, the company secured U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Breakthrough Device Designation, a regulatory fast-track pathway that is only granted to highly innovative technologies with lifesaving potential, as well as a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. Department of the Air Force and funding from private investors, the Department of War, and the National Institutes of Health. 

These strong technology transfer collaborations are designed to streamline the transfer process, ensuring that lifesaving capabilities can be made available to military personnel and civilians as quickly as possible. While much of the initial work on vascular access has already been transferred, the AI-GUIDE team continues to develop and transition additional capabilities, including peripheral nerve block technology for trauma care and pain management. AI-GUIDE has previously been recognized with a Lincoln Laboratory Best Invention Award and an R&D 100 Award. 

"Lincoln Laboratory has a long record of transferring technology to industry. We are honored and proud to be recognized for the transfer of AI‑GUIDE and look forward to seeing the technology commercialized and saving lives in the field. This achievement reflects the strength of the partnership among the Defense Health Agency, Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, and AutonomUS Medical Technologies," says Samuel Kesner, a technical staff member in the Systems Engineering Group, who currently oversees the AI-GUIDE program at Lincoln Laboratory. 

Winning team members from the laboratory include Brian Telfer, Samuel Kesner, Lars Gjesteby, Joshua Werblin, Benjamin Roop, Alec Carruthers, Nancy DeLosa, and former Lincoln Laboratory staff members Matt Johnson (now the vice president of engineering at AutonomUS) and Laura Brattain (now an associate professor at the University of Central Florida). Asha Rajagopal, Jordan Mizerak, Melly Coronado, and Jonathan Dan supported technology transfer efforts.