Swedish innovation saves healthcare staff 25 tonnes of lifting per person each year

‘Nurses say they feel the difference after just a few days – less fatigue and less pain,’ says Jacob Ahrnstein, CEO of Njord Medtech.

Horizontal transfers, for example from a bed to an X-ray machine, are one of the most strenuous tasks for healthcare staff, as manual lifting puts a lot of strain on the back, shoulders and wrists. Each manual transfer corresponds to an average of 45 kilograms. At the same time, it often causes both pain and anxiety for the patient. Njord Medtech’s product, Atle 180, was developed in 2017 as a solution to this problem and is a motorised device that, at the touch of a button, moves patients horizontally from one surface to another. The patient can also hold the control and set the pace themselves. Thanks to the devices now in use in hospitals across Europe, healthcare staff avoid lifting 25 tonnes per person per year.

In addition to reducing the strain on staff, the innovation also gives patients greater privacy and the opportunity for dialogue during the transfer. ‘I particularly remember one patient with severe skeletal metastases. For the first time, he was able to control his own transfer, pause when the pain became too intense and feel that he was in control. It was exactly the difference I had dreamed of,’ says Barbro Cagner, founder of Njord Medtech and former unit manager.

Jacob Ahrnstein, CEO of Njord Medtech.

From Swedish innovation to international establishment
The Atle 180 product was CE marked in 2022 and, with support from Medtech4Health, the company established itself on the British market. Today, the product is used in around 30 Swedish hospitals as well as in Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and France. It is used in emergency and interventional radiology as well as radiation therapy, where there is a great need for frequent and safe patient transfers.

Thanks to Atle, an emergency radiology department can free up 1,500 to 2,000 hours per year through more efficient work processes. With the current number of units in operation in European hospitals, this corresponds to approximately 220,000 hours annually. Time that can instead be used to diagnose and treat more patients. ‘X-ray examinations are becoming more frequent and faster. Transportation risks becoming a bottleneck, but our solution makes it possible to increase flow, shorten healthcare queues and offer faster care,’ says Jacob Ahrnstein.

In the longer term, the goal is to reduce sick leave among healthcare personnel by 0.5-1%, which would mean approximately 30,000 fewer sick leave days per year and a societal saving of around SEK 100 million.

Njord Medtech is aiming for continued international expansion and at the same time sees an opportunity to broaden the product’s area of application by facilitating transfers in burn and intensive care units as well.

Won the Patient’s Award 2025
In 2025, Njord Medtech was named the winner of the Patient’s Award at the Medtech4Health Innovation Award. The award has given the company both visibility and legitimacy in dialogues with healthcare providers and investors. ‘Being able to say that we have won the Patient Award opens up new types of conversations. It highlights the patient perspective in a concrete way and strengthens our credibility with both healthcare providers and investors,’ says Jacob Ahrnstein.