Object details
| Designer / Studio | William Whiting; team: Lauren Davison, Dan Paulson, Chad Mayer, Chris Sankey (Modo, Inc.) |
| Client | Pathware, Inc. |
| Studio | Modo, Inc., United States |
| Award | EPDA 2026 Top Design, Industrial / Healthcare: Medical Products |
In pathology, the wait can be the hardest part. A biopsy is taken, sent away and processed, and in the meantime the patient and the clinician have nothing to act on.
The Pathware Bioptic Microscope, designed by William Whiting and the team at Modo for Pathware, aims to remove that delay. It pairs a digital microscope with AI analysis and places both at the point of care, so a biopsy can be assessed in real time rather than shipped to a distant lab. It received a Top Design distinction for medical products at the 2026 European Product Design Award.
The design challenge was to make complex technology approachable. Modo describes the result as small, simple and easy to adopt, qualities that matter when a device has to earn a place in everyday clinical work.
Modo’s background explains the focus. The studio designs and builds carts for major medical device companies, and its work is about making technology usable for the people who operate it every day.
The team frames the project in human terms: faster information for clinicians, and a better experience for patients who would otherwise be left waiting.
Pathware is a reminder that in healthcare, good industrial design often means shrinking distances, between a sample and a result, and between a diagnosis and the next step.
View Pathware Bioptic Microscope on the European Product Design Award winner’s page →
Image: Modo, Inc.
