Israeli innovation & COVID-19

Israel has ranked 5th among 20 “most innovative countries” during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a global innovation map.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Israeli technologies and research have been at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19. More than 150 Israeli start-ups are working on COVID-19 solutions.

Israel has been leading the fight in the following areas:
• Remote healthcare and patient monitoring
• Diagnostics, testing, screening and support
• Treatment
• Protection and prevention
• Critical care technology
• Mental health and general wellbeing
• Tracking technology
• Digital tools and mobility services

Now that we are all covering our faces to avoid COVID-19, Israeli innovators have been busy inventing antiviral masks, shields and stickers…
• Sonovia and Argaman are using their technologies to embed microbe-killing metallic particles into textiles. Around 3,000 of these washable masks can be produced each day, with many being donated to various recipients.
• A new antiviral sticker that attaches to regular surgical masks is being tested in Israel. It contains nanometric fibers coated with antiseptics that trap the viral particles and neutralise them.
• 3D printing firm, Stratasys, are manufacturing reusable 3D-printed face shields for healthcare workers. The design files were made public so that the face shields can be produced anywhere.

Cordio Medical – using technology to remotely monitor and diagnose COVID-19 patients based on voice samples.

Sweetch – a mobile health platform that is enabling medical teams to remotely monitor, follow, manage and optimise intervention in COVID-19 positive patients with chronic diseases.

Smell Tracker – an online platform that enables self-monitoring of an individual’s sense of smell to detect early signs of COVID-19.

VocalZoom – developed ‘Polaro’ laser sensor technology enabling spectral skin imaging to detect medical vital signs. The tech allows for non-invasive, rapid screening of possible COVID-19 symptoms in hospitals for real-time detection and triage of symptomatic individuals, and at mass transit hubs including airports and train terminals.

PulmOne – developed a desktop device for pulmonary lung measurements and function testing.

Robotemi – developed an AI-powered robot assistant that is being used in hundreds of hospitals, medical centres, nursing homes, and corporate buildings in Asia to help minimise human-to-human contact.

Tamar Robotics – developed and deployed a novel protective patient hood that the company says prevents the spread of COVID-19 and protects hospital workers who apply non-invasive ventilation (NIV) therapy to patients with the virus.

RoboTiCan – developed the NurseeBot robot for the COVID-19 unit at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva. The robot method for doctors to interact with coronavirus patients.

Hamagen – an app launched by the Health Ministry that cross-references information about the location of a confirmed COVID-19 patient with the location of the app user. The app instructs users on what steps to take if they have been near a confirmed patient.

Tikkun Olam
• The Israel division of medical device company Medtronic provided the blueprints for its ventilators to companies seeking to manufacture them, free of charge.

• The Ambovent is a low-cost prototype of an adapted ventilator system created by an Israeli group of Air Force electronics experts, robotics specialists and medical professionals. The group released their blueprints for ventilators made from off-the-shelf components.

• Hundreds of businesses and non-profit groups around the world are producing breathing support machines using the Israeli DIY designs.

Disinfection tunnels!
Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have developed an innovative tunnel that could enable large crowds to gather more safely. The walk-through tunnel sprays a water-based disinfectant using electrochemical technology, which has been proven to powerfully eliminate bacteria and viruses, including microbes from the coronavirus family.

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