The FDA has cleared Clever Culture Systems' APAS® as a Class II medical device. APAS® is an artificial intelligence technology that uses imaging and software to automatically image, analyze, interpret and report the results of microbiology culture plates. It was tested in clinical trials involving 10,000 patients in Australia and the US over 12 months, matching or exceeding the accuracy of microbiologists. Clever Culture Systems plans to launch APAS® Independence, an automated standalone plate reader, in 2017 followed by the integrated APAS® Incubot. This FDA clearance is an important step in making APAS® available to clinical microbiology laboratories worldwide.