First and only FDA-cleared articulating rotary cutting instrument recognized at AANA Annual Meeting Innovation Battle
Joint Preservation Innovations Wins 2026 AANA Lightbulb Award for Articulator™ Arthroscopic Bur
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Breaking NewsOTWPRArticulator Arthroscopic BurJoint Preservation Innovations#aanaFDA breakthrough deviceLightbulb Award
NAPERVILLE, Ill., May 27, 2026 /OrthoSpineNews/ — Joint Preservation Innovations, LLC (JPI), a medical device company focused on advancing minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, today announced that it has been selected as the winner of the 2026 AANA Lightbulb Award in the Innovation Battle for new companies, presented at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Annual Meeting held May 14-16 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Lightbulb Award recognizes the Articulator™ Arthroscopic Bur, the first and only FDA-cleared articulating rotary cutting instrument designed for arthroscopic bone resection. The device received FDA 510(k) clearance in December 2025 and holds FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, granted in 2023 for spinal and robotic applications.
The Articulator™ features real-time, surgeon-controlled articulation and more than 600% greater cutting surface area compared to conventional straight burs, enabling precise bone resection in challenging anatomical spaces during hip, shoulder, knee, and ankle arthroscopy. The device is protected by 25 granted patents across eight international jurisdictions.
Innovation Battle judges, including Dr. Aaron Krych and Dr. Kevin Bonner, highlighted the clinical significance of an articulating bur in arthroscopy, noting its ability to address longstanding technical challenges with bone resection during complex procedures. The judges commended the JPI engineering team for succeeding with a capability that has been sought after in the field for decades but limited by mechanical design restraints.
“This recognition from AANA is a tremendous honor and reflects the collective effort of our entire team,” said Sanjeev Bhatia, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of JPI. “I’m especially grateful to our outstanding engineers and manufacturing partners — true experts in their field — who worked tirelessly alongside our surgeon team to bring the Articulator™ from concept to reality. We also want to thank the AANA leadership, Innovation Battle Committee Chair Dr. Jason Dragoo, and all of the judges for their thoughtful evaluation.”
“This award reflects the rigorous, multidisciplinary approach our team has taken to solve a longstanding unmet need in arthroscopic surgery,” said Peter Millett, MD, Co-Founder of JPI and Orthopedic Surgeon at The Steadman Clinic.
The company is currently in the initial phase of its commercial launch, with adoption underway at select academic medical centers across the United States. Future iterations of Articulator™ technology are in development for endoscopic spinal procedures and robotic-assisted orthopedic surgery. JPI was recently selected for the FDA’s prestigious Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program (TAP), which offers enhanced collaboration to bring breakthrough technologies to patients faster.
About Joint Preservation Innovations, LLC
Joint Preservation Innovations, LLC is a privately held medical device company based in Naperville, Illinois. Founded by orthopedic surgeons, biomedical engineers, and business leaders, JPI is dedicated to advancing minimally invasive orthopedic surgery through surgeon-inspired innovation. For more information, visit www.joint-innovations.com.
Media Contact:
Joint Preservation Innovations, LLC
info@joint-innovations.com
www.joint-innovations.com
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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