Can AI fix the operating room? This startup thinks so

There’s a lot of hype around AI and robotics in healthcare, but the problem that’s costing hospitals money right now is connecting operating rooms. Two to four hours of OR time is lost every day, not just to surgeries, but to everything in between, from manual processing and coordination chaos to predicting room changes.

Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, we bring you a conversation that TechCrunch AI editor Russell Brandom had with Conor McGinn, co-founder and CEO of Akara, a recently launched startup. The Best Products of Time in 2025 and is developing a system that controls the flow of air in hospitals using fuel sensors and AI.

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