The Defense Ministry is collaborating with an Israeli start-up specializing in four-dimensional radar imaging to remotely detect and monitor early-stage coronavirus symptoms.

Yehud-based Vayyar Imaging is working with the Defense Ministry’s MAFAT (Defense Research & Development Directorate) and the Naval Medical Institute to adapt "intelligent sensors" developed by the company for remote detection and monitoring of vital signs indicating symptoms of COVID-19.

The sensors, which the company says can monitor pulse, heart rate variability and respiratory rate without the need for touch, are suitable for placement in homes, hospitals, factories, public transportation hubs and border crossings.

Tests of two monitoring systems equipped with Vayyar sensors, carried out by a national emergency team set up by the Defense Ministry, successfully analyzed the vital data of patients, the company said.

"Vayyar is using its sensor technology to help combat the spread of infection and also enable safety solutions for when social distancing restrictions begin to soften," Vayyar director of marketing Malcolm Berman told The Jerusalem Post.

"Our health monitoring systems can provide touchless, remote monitoring of early-stage symptoms while decreasing face-to-face interaction and can be used in a variety of environments."

Within hospitals, the company says, intelligent sensors can monitor symptoms without exposing personnel or contaminating equipment. Sensors can also be placed in medical centers and emergency rooms for fast, contact-free screening.

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The company says that its sensors can work in "any environmental condition," unaffected by line-of-sight and weather conditions. The sensors also promise greater privacy protection than camera-based monitoring solutions.

"A major challenge being faced globally is flattening the curve," said Berman. "Strategies being employed such as social distancing can be supported through systems that provide remote monitoring to detect pulse, heart rate variability and respiratory rate to help monitor patients in hospitals as well as people at homes and in places of business. We have harnessed the versatile nature of our sensor's capabilities in these areas and fine-tuned them to serve these needs.

Another Israeli monitoring technology being rolled out is a solution developed by Tel Aviv start-up Binah.ai, which announced on Thursday that Montreal medical centers CIUSSS and Jewish General Hospital would implement its smartphone camera-based system to monitor inpatients' vital signs.

Using a smartphone camera and application alone, Binah.ai's technology will enable nurses to measure pulse, oxygen saturation, blood flow, heart rate variability and mental stress levels. At CIUSSS, the solution will be used in rooms with negative pressure ventilation to assist respiratory isolation.

The technology relies on the simple and long-established optical technique of photoplethysmography, often used in pulse oximeters or “finger clips” to measure blood flow. The company, which has partnered with Japanese automotive manufacturing giant Denso to monitoring the well-being of drivers, hopes to receive FDA clearance in the next few years.

"We are proud to take part in the battle against the coronavirus, and to partner with the hospitals in Canada," said Binah.ai co-founder and CEO David Maman.

"We believe that the technology we have developed can save a large amount of time for nurses and doctors in hospital, reduce contact with patients exposed to the virus, and prevent further spread."