Brainlab

Brainlab was founded in Munich in 1989 by Stefan Vilsmeier. The first Brainlab product was a mouse-controlled, menu-driven surgical planning and navigation software, introduced in 1990 at the University of Vienna and exhibited at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C. in 1992.

In 1993, Brainlab developed a linear accelerator-based system for stereotactic radiosurgery using micromultileaf collimators. Three years later, Brainlab entered into a partnership with Varian, Inc., which resulted in a long-term collaboration in the field of radiosurgery.

Brainlab expanded into the field of image-guided surgery in 1997 and was the first to develop passive marker technology. In the same year, Brainlab introduced its first shaped-beam radiosurgery system, Novalis. Lance Armstrong, a professional cyclist and testicular cancer survivor, was the spokesperson for the Novalis brand during the early 2000s.

In 2007, the company released Novalis Tx Radiosurgery, a radiotherapy system jointly created by Brainlab and Varian Medical Systems, Inc. The same year, Brainlab collaborated with Siemens Medical Solutions to launch an intraoperative CT machine utilizing a rail-mounted scanner. In 2008, Digital Lightbox was brought to the market, allowing digital patient images to be viewed and adjusted in the operating room. Digital Lightbox was transformed into Buzz Digital O.R. in 2012.

In the following years, several Brainlab technologies and products received the Red Dot Design Award, including the Kick navigation system, the Curve technology and the Airo Mobile Intraoperative CT.

In March 2019, Smith & Nephew announced the acquisition of the orthopaedic joint reconstruction business unit from Brainlab to advance its efforts in robotic surgery. The same year, Brainlab recalled their spine and trauma 3D navigation software (version 1.0) because it could display inaccurate information during a procedure, which could prevent surgeons from accurately navigating surgical tools inside the patient.

On September 14, 2022, founder Stefan Vilsmeier and Brainlab VP for R&D Claus Promberger, together with clinical partner Professor Cordula Petersen, MD from the UKE (Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf) in Hamburg, were nominated as one of the three finalists for the Federal President’s Award for Innovation and Technology (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) 2022 for the ExacTrac Dynamic technology, a highly precise radiation treatment for tumors in motion. The prize has been awarded annually by the German Federal President for over 25 years and honours outstanding technical, engineering, scientific as well as software and algorithm-based achievements within Germany.

In cooperation with the City of Munich, Brainlab financed the Munich-Riem memorial site, which commemorates the 1970 terrorist attack at the former Munich-Riem Airport. Reasons for the commitment included the local proximity of the former airport to the Brainlab company headquarters and the promotion of art in Munich. Brainlab commissioned the artist Alicja Kwade to design an eight-metre-high sculpture made of steel and bronze for the memorial site.

Surgery

Brainlab develops software technology for planning and navigating surgical procedures, including image enhancement and visualization tools. The various technologies, including image-guided surgery (for example for cranial or spinal navigation and ultrasound), robotic assistance, and intraoperative imaging platforms, are scalable and can be used for imaging, navigation, data enhancement, and data exchange.

The software technologies for surgery include Buzz Digital O.R. and Buzz Virtual, which control the entire operating room and patient data. Navigation technologies feature Curve Navigation, an application for surgical navigation, and Kick, which supports navigation with optical or EM tracking. Additionally, Brainlab offers the Loop-X imaging robot and Cirq, a platform for robotic tasks. The Robotic Suite by Brainlab also enables the combination of robot Loop-X with Curve and Cirq technologies.

Brainlab has also created the Mixed Reality Viewer, which generates hyperrealistic 3D patient data. In 2025, Brainlab received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration for Spine Mixed Reality Navigation, which puts relevant information directly into the surgeon's field of view through an augmented reality headset that they wear during surgery.

Radiosurgery and -therapy

Brainlab develops software in radiotherapy and radiosurgery to aid decision-making and dose planning as well as automate treatment plans, adjusting them to meet clinical requirements. The company also creates specialized technologies for extracranial areas like the breast or lungs.

Brainlab owns and collaborates with several subsidiaries.

In 2009, Brainlab began a partnership with Voyant Health, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based company founded in 2003, active in orthopaedic technology. In 2011, Brainlab acquired Voyant Health and renamed it Brainlab Israel.

Brainlab acquired Medineering, a developer for application-specific robotic technologies and surgery devices, in March 2019. Brainlab had previously been an investor and distribution partner of Medineering for nearly three years.

In 2020, Brainlab announced two additional acquisitions. The first, in January 2020, was VisionTree Software Inc., a San Diego-based company that develops cloud-based, patient-centric data collection and health management technologies.