An Israeli startup is collecting voice samples of those diagnosed with coronavirus in order to identify carriers and limit its spreading to others.
By United with Israel Staff
Israeli startup Vocalis Health is collecting voice samples of those with coronavirus (COVID-19) to find a “vocal fingerprint” of the illness and help contain its spread. The testing started this week, according to a ministry statement.
Led by the defense ministry, Vocalis is working with hospitals and academic institutions to collect voice samples of those with confirmed cases of the disease through a mobile application. As COVID-19 affects the respiratory system, distress can be reflected in the patterns of a person’s voice and breathing.
“We believe that by analyzing the voice beyond what the human ear can hear, we can unveil dedicated vocal biomarkers that will enable the healthcare community to get insights on the symptoms and hopefully the onset of the COVID-19 virus,” Vocalis said in a statement.
Through “deploying a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence method and technique to correlate the voice with the symptoms of the COVID-19,” people can be more alert of early symptoms of the illness.
Analysts of the database information will “be able to triage, screen and monitor COVID-19 virus,” according to Vocalis. It can also be used to diagnosis light cases allowing patients to remain at home.
As the testing is done remotely, it “prevent[s] the spread of the disease and overburdening of the national healthcare system,” Vocalis explained.
Anyone can join the study by sending a voice sample to the researchers through the company’s website. The research is being conducted under the requirements of the Institutional Review Boards (IRB) as established by the FDA.
Preliminary result of the study are expected to be available within six weeks.