Meditemi monitors COVID-19 symptoms with a 4D radar

Meditemi will incorporate the 3D radar sensor of the Israeli company Vayyar into its personal robot, in order to upgrade the robot’s remote monitoring capabilities and help identify COVID-19 symptoms. Using Vayyar’s radar, Meditemi will be able to measure, from a distance of one yard and in less than 10 seconds, adjacent people’s body heat, as well as breathing and heart rates. Consequently, Meditemi will be able to analyze the symptoms and display on its monitor the risk level posed by each individual with regard to COVID-19 contraction.

Meditemi is a joint venture established in Hong Kong by the Israel-based Temi Global, which developed the temi personal robot; and the German Medisana, which markets personal healthcare products. Medisana is a subsidiary of the Chinese electronics corporation Ogawa. The joint venture was founded with the intention of marketing in Europe, under the auspices of the well-established brand-name Medisana has in Germany, a variant of the temi robot that is adapted to the world of personal health.

The Collaboration was born in the COVID-19 Department

Temi is a personal robot that is a hybrid of an Android-based tablet and a mobile robotic platform, operated by voice instructions and hand gestures. The robot is capable of obstacle detection and path planning, knows how to identify its owner and follow it, and perform various tasks, all without the need for a keyboard or touch screen.

The collaboration between Vayyar and Meditemi was conceived in the COVID-19 department at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, as part of a pilot program exploring the use of a variety of remote sensing solutions. Rotem Geslevich, Vayyar’s director of business development in Europe, told Techtime: “There are a lot of possibilities for integration between the two devices, and the first thing we thought about was to come up with a solution that would provide more comprehensive monitoring of COVID-19-related symptoms, and not just of fever.”

The first application in the world of robotics

Vayyar has developed a multiple-antennas and high-frequency RF sensor (3GHz-81GHz) capable of providing a 4D (position and movements) image in 360-degree of the environment without the use of a camera. In contrast to various optical means, the sensor is also capable of detecting information hidden by objects. Consequently, it can discover hidden items, as well as monitor the vital signs of humans located behind walls.

The company’s technology may have many potential applications in the fields of smart home planning, the automotive industry, retail, security, medicine, consumerism industry, and more. About two years ago, Vayyar used its technology to issue a wall-mounted sensor that remotely detects cases of elderly people falling at home, nursing homes or hospitals.

Vayyar’s radar will also be used in Meditemi, allowing it to remotely detect falls among the elderly, in which case the robot will be able to approach the senior and allow him or her to communicate via video call or call for help. “Detecting falls transforms the robot into a solution tailored specifically to the well-being of seniors. It is the first product of its kind in the market of personal robotics.”

temi Raised $20 Million for Tablet-based Personal Robot

temi from Tel-Aviv has completed a $20 Million financial raising round to boost the sales of its unique home robot, mainly in the US and China. With the last round, the 5 years old 100 employees startup had raised a total of $82 million. Among the new investors in the company is the Chinese wellness giant, OGAWA group, who joined the company with $5 million investment. OGAWA’s VP for innovation, Rafi Aviram, told Techtime that this investment will be followed by a strategic cooperation between the two companies.

Temi combines the qualities of modern digital assistants with the mobility of a robot. It follows its user in the house and connects him with friends, smart devices, media and video
communications, by voice and gestures. Temi’s interaction is based on patented ROBOX technology comprised of 16 sensors, object recognition, and face recognition enabling temi to autonomously navigate around the home or office.

The idea came up a few years ago when the founder and CEO Yossi Wolf went to visit his grandmother. Spending an afternoon with her he noticed how shaky her hands were and how difficult it was for her to hold a cup of tea. At that moment, he decided to creat temi for her. Invetment by the Lead Investor and Former CTO of Alibaba – John Wu – who assisted in raising a $60 Million
capital  – was the starting point of the company.

Today temi is a global company with offices in Shenzhen China (production), New York (Marketing&Sales), Tel Aviv (R&D), and Singapore. The first batch of robots just went out lately fom flex factory in China, and the company is focused now mainly on sales and marketing.