HIRAC backs Japan's AI hip-surgery startup Precision Imaging
What's the deal? HIRAC FUNDDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the venture arm run by Money Forward Venture Partners, has invested in Precision ImagingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Tokyo startup building an AI navigation system for total hip replacement surgery. The investment comes from HIRAC's second fund, which totals US$69.8M. Terms were not disclosed.
What does it do? Precision Imaging's software uses a proprietary AI model trained on CT images to analyse live fluoroscopic images during surgery. It estimates the position, angle, and depth of the hip implant cup in three dimensions to support a surgeon's judgment in real time.
Why now? Total hip replacements are rising in Japan, and each case requires precise, patient-specific decisions that demand deep clinical experience. With specialist surgeons unevenly spread across regions, the company pitches its system as a way to steady outcomes and narrow quality gaps.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2023 by Seiya Ishii, a practising orthopaedic surgeon with more than a decade of clinical research in joint replacement, Precision Imaging designs its tool to run on the mobile X-ray machines hospitals already use — avoiding a dedicated robotic platform. "We aim to improve the precision and reproducibility of surgery," Ishii said (translated from Japanese). The firm has secured a core-technology patent and joined research and acceleration programs.
What could go wrong? The announcement discloses neither the amount nor clinical adoption, leaving this a development-stage bet. Regulatory progress and proof of accuracy and workflow benefits will decide whether it can compete.
The signal: AI-assisted hip navigation is moving into commercial use, with DePuy SynthesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → launching its VELYS Hip Navigation in the US in June 2026 and OrthAlign extending its Lantern system to hip replacement in November. Larger device makers are adding navigation through deals and acquisitions. HIRAC's bet backs an early-stage entrant wagering that a lower-infrastructure approach can carve out space in a crowding field.
Read more: prtimes.jp
Image credit: U.S. Army
