French Medical Imaging Breakthrough Launches Globally

A groundbreaking medical imaging device designed entirely in France is about to change how doctors perform complex procedures around the world.

The Allia Moveo system, which received FDA clearance and European approval in December 2024, is a mobile C-arm imaging device with no visible cables. It gives doctors unprecedented freedom to move around patients during interventional procedures while delivering crystal-clear 3D imaging.

What makes this innovation special isn't just the technology. It's the story of how it came to life through an unlikely partnership between three French organizations over five years.

In 2018, GE HealthCare approached IRT Jules Verne, a technological research institute near Nantes, with a tough challenge. They needed to make their C-arm imaging equipment lighter and more stable while maintaining medical-grade precision and safety.

The research institute brought in Loiretech, a small company specializing in high-performance composite materials. Together, the three partners completely reimagined how interventional imaging equipment could work.

Between 2019 and 2022, teams designed, tested, and optimized multiple versions of the C-arm. They used advanced composite materials to reduce weight while improving how the device handled vibrations and movement.

The wide opening of the final design means doctors can perform Cone Beam CT scans without moving patients' arms or repositioning ceiling equipment. Integrated AI tools enhance 3D reconstructions in real time, giving medical teams diagnostic confidence exactly when they need it.

The Ripple Effect

This collaboration shows what happens when big companies, research institutes, and small manufacturers work together with a shared vision. The partners filed two joint patents and GE HealthCare filed ten additional patents on innovations like concealed cable management.

Loiretech transformed from a research partner into the official manufacturer, bringing extreme precision assembly techniques that ensure smooth rotational movement. The small Nantes-based company now supplies a product used in hospitals globally.

The system frees up critical space in operating rooms, simplifies complex workflows, and gives medical teams greater flexibility during procedures. Patients benefit from less repositioning and faster, more accurate imaging.

From laboratory concept to FDA-cleared medical device, the Allia Moveo proves that ambitious industrial challenges can be solved when engineers, researchers, and clinicians work hand in hand. French innovation is now helping doctors worldwide deliver better care with greater precision and confidence.