Paediatrics and Child Health Technology Conference
2-3 December 2026 | Sheffield, UK & Online
Please note that this event is supported by industry sponsorship, including pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. Sponsors have no influence over the agenda or the selection of speakers, except for sponsored sessions which will be clearly labelled in the programme.
Future Innovation Zone
The Paediatrics and Child Health Technology Conference 2026 is hosting an interactive innovation zone, focussing on innovations of the future.
The Future Innovation Zone is an area of the conference where delegates can learn about and interact with up and coming innovations for paediatrics and child health.
Applications to exhibit in our Future Innovation Zone have now closed.
Confirmed Exhibitiors
AiSEPTRON: Developing AI Software to Support Sepsis Treatment Decisions in Paediatric Emergency Departments
Summary
AiSEPTRON is a software tool being developed to help emergency clinicians identify children who may be at risk of serious infection or sepsis earlier.
Serious infection in children can be difficult to recognise, particularly when they first arrive in the emergency department, because early symptoms can look similar to those of much less serious illnesses. Existing screening approaches often rely on individual warning signs, such as fever, a fast heart rate or rapid breathing.
AiSEPTRON takes a different approach. It uses artificial intelligence to bring together several pieces of information that are already collected during routine emergency care. These include the child’s age, vital signs, reason for attending hospital and information written by clinicians during the triage assessment. AiSEPTRON looks for patterns across these different signals and estimates the child’s risk of serious infection.
The aim is not to replace doctors or nurses, but to provide an additional source of information that could help them recognise children who may need closer review, further investigation or earlier treatment.
In the future, AiSEPTRON is intended to work within the hospital electronic health record, so that risk can be updated as new clinical information becomes available. At the conference, delegates will be able to interact with a prototype using simulated paediatric emergency cases, explore how different clinical information influences the assessment, and see how AI-supported decision-making could fit within future NHS care.
AiSEPTRON is currently being developed and evaluated as a research innovation and is not yet being used to make clinical decisions.
Exhibitors
Sylvester Gomes
Customised Masks for Overnight Respiratory Therapy (CoMFORT)
Summary
CoMFORT is a custom-made, 3D-designed non-invasive ventilation (NIV) mask and integrated modular headgear system for children and young people. NIV delivers breathing support through a face mask, but treatment depends on achieving an effective mask-face interface. Commercial masks are manufactured in fixed sizes and may not adequately fit very young children or patients with facial differences. Poor fit can cause excessive air leak, discomfort, facial marking and pressure-related skin damage, and may prevent ventilation being delivered effectively.
The CoMFORT approach uses 3D scanning and computer-aided design to customise both the mask and headgear to the individual patient. A detailed scan records the shape of the face and head. This data informs a patient-specific mask interface, designed to follow the facial contours and distribute contact pressure more evenly. The mask is manufactured using 3D-printing technologies and skin-safe materials. Modular headgear holds the interface in position and can be configured around the individual’s anatomy and clinical needs.
Together, the system aims to optimise mask fit, comfort and ventilation efficacy for children for whom a well-fitting commercial mask is unavailable or unsuitable. Patient acceptability is also central. It is more than a new mask design. CoMFORT explores a bespoke mask provision service within the NHS, considering the pathway from patient assessment and scanning through digital design, manufacture, fitting, evaluation, adjustment and replacement. Developing the product and service together is intended to make customised NIV provision safe, repeatable and responsive, while addressing the practical requirements of clinical care, manufacturing, regulation, procurement and NHS implementation.
Exhibitors
Matt Willox and Heather Elphick
Faster Oxygen Saturation Measurements for Paediatric Assessment
Summary
Oxygen saturation measures the amount of oxygen in your blood. An inability to supply enough oxygen is often a sign of serious underlying health issues. For example, oxygen saturation below 92% is a moderate-high risk criteria for sepsis, a rapidly onset and dangerous condition requiring urgent treatment. Oxygen saturation is commonly measured using ‘pulse oximeters’ that clip onto a fingertip. The way blood absorbs light changes depending on how much blood the oxygen is carrying and so measuring how light passes through the fingertip enables these devices to determine how much oxygen is present in the blood.
Existing devices work well when patients sit still but work terribly when they don’t. This makes assessing young children extremely challenging; they may be inconsolable, wriggle uncomfortably, or not understand instructions. When GPs cannot take a measurement within a 10-minute appointment window, they often refer children for monitoring in hospital, leading to wasted resources that would be avoided if measurement had been possible.
We have developed a new way to measure oxygen saturation which is faster than existing devices and tolerant of patient movement, making it suitable for young children. Our method sends tiny vibrations into the fingertip; these vibrations produce changes in the amount of blood, imprinting a signal on light passing through which is then measured to rapidly and easily determine blood oxygen levels. We have created a functional prototype that demonstrates the principles behind our device.
Exhibitors
Elliot Bentine
HabitQuest
Summary
HabitQuest is a digital coaching platform for children aged 6–12 and their families, designed by an NHS Paediatrician to close the gap between advice given in clinic and what actually happens at home.
The platform has two connected interfaces. Parents receive a short daily plan — one meal suggestion and one activity idea — personalised to their family’s cultural background, dietary requirements, budget and available space. Children receive their own age-banded version: daily quests, food exploration challenges, and a companion character that progresses as habits build.
Personalisation is driven by a brief onboarding questionnaire covering family circumstances, food preferences, the child’s interests and practical constraints. Content is drawn from a structured library of over 100 meal plans spanning 37 cuisines and over 100 activity plans across 17 interest categories, each tagged for age band, dietary requirement, equipment needed and time to complete.
Two design decisions define the platform. First, no weight, BMI or calorie information is displayed to children at any point, consistent with NICE and RCPCH guidance on avoiding weight-centred messaging with children. Second, children are offered two or three daily choices rather than a single instruction, applying Self-Determination Theory to preserve autonomy. The behaviour change model draws on the COM-B framework.
HabitQuest is designed as a supportive tool alongside standard care, intended for clinician referral. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat or monitor any condition.
Exhibitors
Arbind Hehar
MIROR - A Clinical Decision Support Tool for Advanced MRI
Summary
MIROR is an intelligent clinical decision-support system designed to assist healthcare teams in diagnosing and characterising paediatric brain tumours using advanced MRI.
Interpreting advanced MRI sequences, such as diffusion-weighted imaging (which helps assess a tumour’s cellularity) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (which provides an estimation of the tumour’s chemical makeup), can be challenging. MIROR bridges this gap by automatically comparing a new patient’s scans against an internal library of over 500 historic, verified brain tumour cases via the Imaging of Tumours study.
Using machine learning, MIROR provides semi-automated diagnostic classification while allowing clinicians to interactively explore and compare individual imaging features against known tumour types and subtypes. This functionality can help clinicians evaluate ambiguous or rare tumour cases, promote diagnostic confidence, and serve as an intuitive training platform for those newer to advanced neuroimaging.
MIROR has recently been redesigned with a streamlined, user-focused interface, and the internal library of tumour cases has been extensively expanded, enhancing predictive accuracy and usability. At the Technical Innovation Zone, we are showcasing MIROR’s diagnostic capabilities and inviting clinician and researcher feedback to help shape its real-world implementation.
Exhibitors
Tim Mulvany and John Apps
MRI Epilepsy Lesion Detection (MELD)
Summary
MELD aims to improve the diagnosis of people with epilepsy.
When a child or adult is diagnosed with epilepsy they have a brain scan called an MRI. Doctors look at the scan to look for a brain abnormality that might be causing the seizures. In 2 out of 3 people with brain abnormalities causing their epilepsy, medication does not control the seizures. Instead, surgery to remove the abnormality may be an option to cure the epilepsy. However, some of these abnormalities are very subtle and difficult to see. Half of these abnormalities are missed when doctors first review the MRI scans. This can mean years of uncontrolled seizures, extra hospital visits and more tests before patients are considered for epilepsy surgery.
We are developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called MELD (MRI Epilepsy Lesion Detection) that can help doctors find a range of different abnormalities that can cause epilepsy. MELD is trained using thousands of brain scans from people around the world with epilepsy caused by different types of brain abnormalities.
Through an NIHR grant, we are developing MELD for use in the NHS by improving the software to better spot subtle brain abnormalities on MRI and making sure it is safe and meets government regulations so that it can be used in hospitals.
Exhibitors
Sophie Adler and Konrad Wagstyl
Neocam: Digitalising Neonatal Eye Screening
Summary
All babies are screened twice in their first 8 weeks of life for cataract, cloudiness of the lens of the eye. Cataract affects 1 in 3000 babies and is the commonest cause of avoidable child blindness in the world. Early detection and surgery can prevent permanent visual impairment. Screening is currently performed by non-specialist midwives and doctors shining a bright white light torch (ophthalmoscope) into the eye to assess the ‘red-reflex’. This is the reddish reflection seen in the pupil, similar to ‘red eye’ seen in flash photos. A cataract shows as a dark shadow on this reflection. The test can be difficult because the bright light upsets the baby and makes the pupil smaller. Also, the colour and brightness of the reflection is affected by eye pigmentation, making the test less accurate in black and Asian babies. Many screeners lack experience and confidence in the technique.
The NIHR funded Digital Imaging versus Ophthalmoscopy (DIvO) study compared neocam screening to standard screening in a total of 40,600 babies across 30 maternity units. Neocam enabled the detection of a third more eye abnormalities and was preferred by 85% of screeners to the standard evaluation.
Using this experience, we now aim to create an improved device and service model for neonatal eye screening. Duocam will comprise a smartphone plug-in camera accessory and downloadable app supporting on-device alerts for image quality and need for review. Images will be stored securely in the cloud and can be viewed remotely by a specialist, allowing early action to be taken or reassurance given, avoiding anxiety and an unnecessary trip to hospital.
Our vision is of a future digitised infant eye screening programme using duocam to harness machine learning, with the aim of reducing health inequality, supporting screeners and preventing blindness worldwide.
Exhibitors
Louise Allen
NeWTS: A Bluetooth Vital Sign Monitoring System for Babies in Neonatal Care
Summary
NeWTS is an innovative BT transmission system designed to reduce the physical and psychological barriers created by wired vital sign monitoring systems use in neonatal care.
Babies admitted to neonatal intensive care require continuous monitoring of vital signs. Traditional monitoring systems rely on multiple wired connections between sensors on the baby and bedside equipment, which makes handling, feeding and skin-to-skin care more challenging. NeWTS uses a Bluetooth connection to transmit data from sensors via cotside transmitters, to be displayed on standard patient monitors.
By reducing wire clutter around the cot, NeWTS aims to improve the neonatal care environment and support family-centred care practices, including kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact).
Exhibitors
Kathryn Beardsall
Technological Tools for Co-Design
Summary
These are 4 tools that are used at various stages in the co-design process to enable meaningful engagement of children and young people. Tool 1 is made up of 3D printed iceberg segments that participants write on and stack on poles to explore the visible and invisible aspects of condition management, followed by adding 3D printed life rings for what supports these aspects. Tool 2 is a pirate map using invisible ink and UV torch to explore the concept of visible aspects. Tool 3 is four wooden viewfinders with an engraved phrase on each such as “part of my condition no one sees” where participants scan the attached NFC tag and build up a photo wall of their condition reality. Tool 4 is an emotion tracking cone to be used in co-design workshops for facilitators to discreetly check in on how participants are doing with different activities.
Exhibitors
Ursula Ankeny
Key Dates
- Future Innovation Zone submission opens: Monday 03 August 2026
- Future Innovation Zone submission closes: Friday 11 September 2026
- Applicants informed of outcome: By Friday 02 October 2026
| Future Innovation Zone submission opens | Monday 03 August 2026 |
| Future Innovation Zone submission closes | Friday 11 September 2026 |
| Applicants informed of outcome | By Friday 02 October 2026 |
Guidance & FAQs
What is the Future Innovation Zone?
The Paediatrics and Child Health Technology Conference 2026 is hosting an interactive innovation zone, focussing on innovations of the future.
The Future Innovation Zone is an area of the conference where delegates can learn about and interact with up and coming innovations for paediatrics and child health.
Who can showcase?
Key requirements for showcasing include:
- The innovation is being developed by a research team
- The innovation relates to paediatrics and child health
- The project lead is based at a university or NHS Trust
- The product to be showcased is not commercially available (commercial teams are welcome to showcase their innovations via our sponsorship and exhibition packages).
What are the benefits of showcasing?
There are many benefits to showcasing in the Future Innovation Zone, including:
- Raising awareness of your innovation in development
- Share your expertise with a multidisciplinary audience
- Receiving feedback from academics, healthcare professionals and industry experts
- Identify and connect with new collaborators and stakeholders
How can I apply to showcase?
Please complete our application form to apply to showcase your innovation in the Future Innovation Zone.
Is there a cost associated with showcasing?
There is no cost to showcase but exhibitors in the Future Innovation Zone will need to pay for in-person delegate registration.
The main conference programme will be live-streamed to a separate room within the conference venue for exhibitors to access as there is limited seating available in the main conference hall. We are therefore offering exhibitors a 25% discount on delegate tickets to accommodate this.
Please note that exhibitors in the Future Innovation Zone will still have access to all other areas of the conference venue and conference programme, including the networking session at the end of day one.
What is the deadline for applications?
The deadline for applying is Friday 11th September 2026. All applications will be reviewed by the conference organising committee. We will inform applicants of the outcome by Friday 2nd October 2026.
What is the scoring criteria for applications?
Applications will be scored using the following criteria:
- Meets the eligibility criteria
- Relevance to the conference programme
- Interest and interactivity for delegates
- Alignment with NHS and NIHR priorities
- Inclusion and involvement of children, young people and families in the development of the innovation
- Ability of the innovation to be showcased in the National Centre for Child Health Technology
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
Please email hrc-children@nihr.ac.uk if you have any questions.