SoftAcuity and Atomic Gravity Partner to Advance Physical AI in Mission-Critical Environments

Showcasing Surgical Innovation at NVIDIA GTC

Mar. 16, 2026 at 6:56pm

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SoftAcuity, a leader in AI-enabled surgical technologies, has announced new AI capabilities developed in partnership with Atomic Gravity for its Brilliant Assistant platform, advancing the vision of physical AI for mission-critical healthcare environments such as the operating room. The collaboration brings together SoftAcuity's Brilliant Assistant platform with Atomic Gravity's expertise in building production-grade AI systems, delivering more intelligent, context-aware, workflow-enhancing AI capabilities.

Why it matters

Operating rooms are among the most technologically advanced environments in healthcare, yet the core interfaces clinicians rely on have remained largely unchanged. The partnership between SoftAcuity and Atomic Gravity aims to introduce a new category of physical AI technology for the operating room, providing an intelligent system capable of understanding context, interacting through voice, and delivering real-time intelligence designed to augment surgical teams and improve patient outcomes.

The details

The expanded Brilliant Assistant platform delivers more intelligent, context-aware, workflow-enhancing AI capabilities by leveraging a rich array of sensors and SoftAcuity's Speech and Intelligence Engine to perceive activity in the room, provide ambient awareness, and deliver real-time, mission-critical intelligence through AI copilots and intelligent agents that assist clinicians during procedures. Designed as an open platform for surgical environments, the system enables MedTech device companies and operating room integrators to rapidly deploy AI-powered applications through SoftAcuity's SAI API, allowing secure customization and integration of clinical software and AI solutions directly at the point of use.

  • The collaboration was announced on March 16, 2026.

The players

SoftAcuity

A leader in AI-enabled surgical technologies, based in Santa Barbara, California, that develops physical AI platforms for healthcare and other mission-critical environments.

Atomic Gravity

An applied AI execution firm focused on designing and deploying production-grade AI systems and platforms, partnering with SoftAcuity to accelerate the development of the next generation of AI capabilities within the Brilliant Assistant platform.

Barco

A global leader in visualization and digital operating room technology, a strategic partner of SoftAcuity.

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What they’re saying

“With Brilliant Assistant, we are introducing a new category of physical AI for the operating room—delivering real-time intelligence designed to augment surgical teams and help improve patient outcomes.”

— Bruce Kennedy, Founder and CEO of SoftAcuity

“The next wave of AI in healthcare isn't just software—it's AI embedded directly into the environments where care happens. Brilliant Assistant is a powerful example of physical AI in action, combining sensors, voice, and intelligent agents to deliver real-time assistance inside the operating room.”

— Tolga Tarhan, Founder and CEO of Atomic Gravity

What’s next

SoftAcuity, Atomic Gravity, and Barco will showcase the Brilliant Assistant platform innovations at the NVIDIA GTC conference on March 16-19 in San Jose.

The takeaway

The partnership between SoftAcuity and Atomic Gravity represents a significant step forward in the integration of AI technology into mission-critical healthcare environments, with the potential to transform surgical workflows and improve patient outcomes through the introduction of a new category of physical AI in the operating room.