LONDON, UK — TympaHealth, an ear and hearing health technology provider, has secured a £2 million Innovate UK loan to support the development and scaling of Tympa Assist, an AI-powered guidance platform designed to support ear and hearing care delivery in community settings.
The company said the platform is intended to help non-specialist practitioners, including pharmacists and care providers, deliver more consistent ear and hearing health assessments while supporting appropriate referral to specialist services when needed.
AI Guidance for Otoscopy and Wax Assessment
A central component of the platform is Otoscopy Assist, which uses AI-powered guidance in real time to assess image quality and estimate wax levels, identifying them as minimal, moderate, or substantial. When findings suggest a possible need for specialist support, the system highlights this to support timely onward referral.
The company said the £2 million loan will also support development of clinical diagnostic functions intended to improve decision-making in community settings and align with the NHS ambition to deliver more care through a Neighbourhood Health Service.
The funding comes as healthcare systems continue to seek ways to improve patient access and reduce pressure across services, including audiology. TympaHealth said its broader mission is to bring ear and hearing health services closer to communities while providing frontline practitioners with support and guidance.
Supporting Frontline Practitioners
“AI is often associated with diagnosis, but that’s not where the biggest challenge lies in everyday ear and hearing care,” said Dr. Krishan Ramdoo, ENT surgeon and founder of TympaHealth. “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. TympaHealth said it is not intended for individuals with known or suspected complex conditions requiring specialist ENT assessment, in line with NHS and ENT guidance.
Connected Ear and Hearing Care Platform
While some devices on the market describe themselves as AI-enabled otoscopes, TympaHealth said these often focus on isolated features such as image capture guidance or condition-specific diagnostic algorithms.
By contrast, the company said its platform 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.
About TympaHealth
TympaHealth is a team of doctors and technology experts united by a mission to help the world achieve better ear and hearing health.
Working with a broad range of healthcare providers including Pharmacists, Care, Providers, Audiologists and GPs, the TympaHealth Solution equips them with the ability to efficiently perform ear examinations and wax removal and a hearing check.
Source: TympaHealth
