Dutch tech firm develops life-saving battlefield app for military medics
A Delft-based company is finalizing a wearable app that could revolutionize battlefield medicine. The technology allows real-time tracking of injured soldiers and on-site medical record updates, potentially saving lives in conflicts and disasters.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Company | Offroad Apps (Delft) |
| CEO | Vera Pijl |
| Team Size | 15 employees + 4 TU Delft students |
| Project Start | 2016 |
| Funding | Ministry of Defence + private investment |
| Current Status | Near production, awaiting approval (1-2 years) |
| Potential Expansion | Air force, navy, military police, international armed forces, disasters |
| Competition | No direct competitors (US working on similar tech with different approach) |
| Location | Mijnbouwstraat, Delft (near TU Delft) |
The Ministry of Defence plays a dual role in this project: as both the primary client commissioning the technology and a partial funder of its development. This reflects the government's strategy to foster innovation in critical defense capabilities while supporting Dutch tech startups.
Read the full translated article below
Medical app for military personnel
Delft-based company Offroad Apps is in the midst of an extremely timely development. The company is developing a wearable monitoring app that allows multiple injured soldiers to be tracked at a glance on the battlefield.
The app can also be used to fill in and store medical records on-site. The software remotely transmits live medical data to medical professionals behind the front lines. The development of this system is taking place in a modest office building on Mijnbouwstraat, near TU Delft: a team of fifteen employees and four TU students who work part-time here. Vera Pijl is the CEO. “Since 2016, we’ve been working on this project for the Ministry of Defence.”
Puzzle pieces
She and her husband, Nils van Breugel, founded Offroad Apps. “Nils, a physicist, was already involved in the world of wearable sensors. I was an industrial designer. We had both worked on defence projects in the past. Something was still missing. We wanted to start our own business, combine our strengths. Looking back, all the puzzle pieces came together.” And then the breakthrough: “At a trade fair, the Ministry of Defence approached us with a request to develop an app for deploying sensors on the battlefield.” That was the start of Vera and her colleagues’ great adventure.
Expanding applications
After several years of development, the medical battlefield app is now on the verge of going into production. And that makes things even more exciting. Vera says, “The Ministry of Defence now has to roll it out. I estimate it will take another one to two years before the application passes the approval process and is used during missions. But we’re doing everything we can to speed up the process, given the urgency. If the Netherlands is now involved in a large-scale conflict, the app will be ready. Meanwhile, we’re fine-tuning the functionality. We’re also looking at whether our product can be adapted for the air force, navy, and military police. And for armed forces outside the Netherlands. But the Offroad App could also be useful for non-military purposes. Think of disasters and refugee camps where rapid diagnoses and medical decisions are a matter of life and death.”
Losing sleep
In the United States, work is also underway on an app to monitor the vital signs of injured soldiers. However, the approach there is different. For now, the Delft innovation has no real competition. That’s good news, of course. It increases the chances of financial stability for Offroad Apps. “During the development phase, the Ministry of Defence contributed to the project’s funding. But we also invested our own money. I often lost sleep over it. Every time a new development phase began, we had to bridge a funding gap.”
More women in leadership
CEO Vera Pijl leads a high-tech company with international potential in a crucial phase of innovation to production, in a world of geopolitical tensions. Top-level performance in a sector dominated by men. She is proud to be one of the role models in Delft Municipality and Equals Amsterdam’s ‘More women in Tech 2026’ campaign. “I want to help change perceptions. A woman in this position shouldn’t be an exception. So I’d like to contribute to a climate where more women occupy such roles.”
Male stronghold
It’s not easy. “In our own company, my management assistant and I are the only women so far. We’ve also not yet managed to attract more female students as interns. The tech sector we operate in is still very much a male stronghold.” She is determined to change that. She also sees pitfalls that people don’t expect. “Women who have made it sometimes judge each other more harshly. As if we see each other as competitors. I’ve caught myself doing that too. That’s not good. We should support each other. That’s what I’m going to work on.”
Staying in Delft
No matter how much Offroad Apps’ medical defence applications grow and succeed in other markets, Vera wants to keep the company in Delft. “I like the idea that our three children can just drop by here, for example if they’ve forgotten their keys again. But the collaboration with TU Delft is also a reason to stay. Delft is just a beautiful city.”
Text: Rob van Es | Photo: Erwin Dijkgraaf
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