Israel DDR&D to Develop AI-Based Voice Test for Coronavirus
This post is also available in: 
עברית (Hebrew)
The National Emergency Team led by the Director of the DDR&D, Brig. Gen. (Res.), Dr. Dani Gold, continues to identify and develop advanced technological solutions to help fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
According to IMoD spokesperson’s announcement, the team is currently conducting a trial with Israeli start-up Vocalis Health. The company is developing an artificial intelligence-based platform that tracks and monitors health issues through voice sampling in order to detect virus symptoms related to the patient’s respiratory system.
Interested in learning more about biometric technologies? Attend i-HLS’ InnoTech Expo in Tel Aviv – Israel’s largest innovation, HLS, and cyber technologies expo – on November 18-19, 2020
A test that will begin in the coming days will sample the voices of carriers and patients diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus, using a mobile application developed by the company. These voice samples will be analyzed using an AI-based algorithm in order to identify the unique vocal ‘fingerprint’ of carriers and patients. This information will be useful in both early diagnoses and in the monitoring of patients to detect the deterioration or improvement in their health. 
This voice test is the result of a collaboration between the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), in the Ministry of Defense, and Vocalis Health.
Within the framework of the study, voice recordings will be collected from carriers, patients and the general public via a mobile application. These recordings will then undergo data analysis using neural networks. The purpose of this study is to develop a unique algorithm based on machine learning and sound characteristics in order to make initial medical assessments and in order to monitor the symptoms and conditions of patients.
The advantage of this monitoring system is that it can be conducted from afar, in order to prevent the spread of the disease and overburdening of the national healthcare system.
The startup, founded by Tal Wendrow and Dr. Shady Hassan, is from aMoon venture fund, Rabin and Sheba Medical Centers, Afeka Academic Center and additional research groups from the academic community and the IDF.
To another Israeli voice technology for Coronavirus diagnoses.
The research is conducted in collaboration with medical institutions in Israel and abroad, including the Sheba and Rabin Medical Centers, Beilinson and Sharon hospitals, the Directorate of R&D in the DDR&D, led by Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem in IMoD, academic institutions such as the Afeka College of Engineering, and the IDF. The preliminary results of the study are expected within 4-6 weeks.
Interested in learning more about biometric technologies? Attend i-HLS’ InnoTech Expo in Tel Aviv – Israel’s largest innovation, HLS, and cyber technologies expo – on November 18-19, 2020 at Expo Tel Aviv, Pavilion 2.
