Prior to 1993, the electrosurgical device market consisted mainly of diathermy and laser. At that time, the healthcare challenge was to design, engineer and manufacture an electrosurgical instrument that is safe, accurate, and controllable in laparoscopic and open surgery. 

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With a demanding need from the surgical community for a much safer device in electrosurgery, the Helica Thermal Coagulator (TC) was developed in 1993 by Maurice Howieson in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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The Helica TC was developed to overcome this challenge, but with cauterising effect similar to diathermy and laser.

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Available since 1995, it has been used in over 50,000 operations in the UK and now has begun expanded into Singapore.

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The innovative thinking and hard work of Helica TC received a John Logie Baird award, a Scottish awards scheme for excellence in innovation, in 1997.