The Israeli Defense Ministry's research and development laboratory (the IDF's Idea Lab) is known for its innovative ways of killing people and blowing things up, with secret tanks and sniper drones among its deadliest recent projects.
But his latest mission is saving lives. Since March, he has been leading a major, high-speed effort to unleash some of the country's most advanced technologies against an enemy of a different kind: Covid-19.
The nationwide venture connects for the first time major hospitals and research institutes with Israel's legendary high-tech sector and its military-industrial branches: Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the companies behind Israel's arsenals of unmanned vehicles, missiles and fighter jets.
Bureaucracy, institutional rivalries and philanthropy can hinder a unified, rapid response to a crisis. But Israel quickly created a national task force and dozens of teams with hundreds of scientists, engineers, doctors, executives, government and military officials all working towards the same goals.
“In Israel, if there’s a mission that needs to be done, it’s like war,” said Brig. Gen. Dani Gold, who leads the project. “Everyone enjoys what they do, they coordinate the mission, and they work on the mission with a lot of energy and creativity.”
General Gold, known as the father of the anti-Semitic Iron Dome system, heads the Defense Research and Development Directorate, Israel's version of the US Defense Advanced Projects Agency, or Darpa.
While Darpa gave the world the Internet and GPS, its Israeli counterpart has not had a similar impact on political life. The agency to eradicate the coronavirus, senior officials say, could be a start.
Here are some of the projects that may change the situation:
Diagnostic tests
As some countries begin to ease restrictions , senior officials are calling for ways to quickly test masses of people and identify those who are contagious.
Several Israeli startups are trying to develop rapid diagnostic tests to detect or see the characteristics of coronavirus infections.
Two other groups are developing respirators using spectrum analyzers that operate at very high frequencies.
Professor Gabby Sarusi of Ben-Gurion University, which is developing a similar device with Israel's Defense Research and Development Directorate, said the size and electrical properties of the coronavirus stand out when analyzed at high frequency and should be detectable just a few hours after someone has been infected.
Several of the most interesting anti-virus tools have been developed by AnyVision, a
Localization
AnyVision’s Big Brother-style surveillance is also being used to help contain the spread of the virus in hospitals. At Sheba, it has tapped into a network of about 600 surveillance cameras in public spaces, setting off an alarm when someone enters a ward without a mask, Dr. Zimlichman said.
AnyVision also allows infectious disease nurses to immediately determine who else needs to be quarantined when a hospital worker tests positive. Dr. Zimlichman said, “We can ask the system to show us who that person came into contact with, specifying the distance and duration of contact — for example, closer than two meters for more than five minutes — and it gives us either a list of people or photos.”
Telemedicine
Some projects aim to minimize direct contact between healthcare workers and patients.
Temi had already “created” a market for personal robotic assistants, costing about $2,000. Rafael and Elbit have adapted them to work with suits and to allow doctors to monitor patients or deliver medication without ever entering rooms , said Yossi Wolf, who previously developed robots to help Israeli soldiers deal with Hamas tunnels or chemical weapons.
Command and control
At the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, in the south, IAI has also adapted the cockpit controls it makes for fighter jets and helicopters to store and analyze information about Covid-19 patients on ventilators, Ms. Sharon said. “It gives medical staff a comprehensive picture, while minimizing contact, and can create early warning signs to see where patients are going,” she said.
While Israel has dealt with the virus relatively well so far, if a second wave overwhelms the health system, a command and control system being developed by the military is expected to connect all of the country's hospitals, allowing people and equipment to where they are most needed, said Col. Talya Gazit.
Starting with the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, in the north, the project connects systems containing patient clinical information, hospital staff data, and accounting and inventory systems with predictive tools. “This will be the first time that Israel can see the situation simultaneously in all hospitals in the country,” said Col. Gazit.
