What happens when a firmware bug brings a ventilator offline during a pandemic? For Ryan Torvik, it raised a question: Why are embedded medical systems still so fragile, and so hard to test?In this episode of Inside MedTech Innovation, host Shannon Lantzy talks with Ryan Torvik, founder of Tulip Tree Tech and a former offensive cybersecurity engineer, about how decades-old assumptions about embedded software are colliding with modern needs for safety, speed, and resilience. With funding from ARPA-H, Ryan is now building Barnhill, an emulation framework that lets manufacturers test firmware in a virtual environment before it ever hits the device.Together, they explore how digital twins, DevSecOps, and real-time behavioral testing can radically improve embedded medical systems, without breaking them in the process. Plus: what MedTech needs to learn from the automotive and defense industries, and why debugging a glucose monitor might have more in common with securing a microwave than you think.00:00 – The Stakes: Firmware bugs during COVID and what they revealed02:00 – Meet Ryan Torvik: From cybersecurity offense to medical emulation05:00 – What “embedded” really means—and why these devices remain vulnerable10:00 – Why firmware updates in MedTech aren’t like consumer tech14:00 – Building Barnhill: A digital twin for real-time debugging17:00 – How Barnhill differs from other emulators and digital twins21:00 – A glucose monitor case study: translating voltage into clinical meaning25:00 – MedTech’s friction points: regulation, reimbursement, and risk30:00 – Why cybersecurity lessons aren’t translating to healthcare34:00 – DevSecOps and SPDF: A new framework for firmware confidence40:00 – The real barrier: MedTech’s “never touch it again” mindset45:00 – Can AI help accelerate testing without adding new risks?49:00 – How Barnhill aims to reduce false confidence and unknown vulnerabilities52:00 – Ryan’s journey: from hacker to healthtech founder55:00 – What he learned building large-scale emulation in defense58:00 – Final thoughts: why trust, transparency, and humility matter mostFollow Shannon and Ryan:Ryan TorvikLinkedIn | Ryan TorvikCompany | Tulip Tree TechnologyShannon Lantzy LinkedIn | Shannon Lantzy Website | shannonlantzy.com

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