Using the techniques of killing and espionage .. New details about Israel's confrontation with Coruna

The arms of technical research and development in the Israeli Ministry of Defense are known for their leadership in discovering advanced methods of killing and detonating things, from modern tanks, drones, and other killing technology.

However, according to a report by the New York Times, the Israeli Defense Ministry has directed, since last March, its most advanced killing and espionage technologies to eliminate another kind of enemy, an enemy that cannot be seen with the eye - the Corona virus.

The new project connects for the first time major hospitals and research institutes with the high-tech sector in Israel and military giants such as Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the companies behind Israel's arsenal of drones, missiles and combat aircraft.

Israel has made up dozens of teams that include hundreds of scientists, engineers, doctors, executives, government officials, and military officers who all work for the same goal.

"In Israel, if there is a task that needs to be done, it is like war," said Colonel Danny Gould, who leads the mission. "Therefore, everyone leaves what they do, and indulge themselves to work on the mission with a lot of energy and creativity."

Gold is considered the owner of the Iron Dome missile defense system and the commander of the Defense Research and Development Directorate, the Israeli version of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

But while DARPA gave the world the Internet and GPS, its Israeli counterpart had no similar impact on civilian lives, and officials say its work on the Corona Virus may be the start of such projects.

Here are a few of its projects to tackle the virus:

Hearing and smell tests
As some countries begin easing anti-virus restrictions, officials are calling for ways to quickly test large numbers of people and identify infected people, and several emerging Israeli companies are competing to develop rapid diagnostic tests to track the sound and smell of HIV infection.

Vocalis Health, a company that uses sound and artificial intelligence technology to analyze sound and breathing, is setting an audio indicator for the Corona virus.

As fictitious as it may seem, the company has already linked the sound signs to the risk of death of patients with congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension.

By working with the Chiba Medical Center, Vocalis was able to record audio samples from Coronavirus patients, hoping to improve an application that could classify patients' infections as mild, moderate or severe based on their voices.

"It is a whole new area (looking for symptoms by sound) and I think a few years from now it will be very important in the healthcare field," said Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, chief physician at the hospital and chief innovation officer.

On the other hand, NanoScent, whose technology uses odor detection and number sensors, is training its artificial intelligence to discover a distinctive odor of viral cells in patients’s noses.

The company says, "The spread of viral cells among the microorganisms that live in the noses of patients with the Coronavirus, produces a distinct smell."

The result of the test is not final, as the person blows it into a special bag designed to display air on a sensor, and will obtain a result or signs of suspected disease, said Oren Javrelli, co-CEO and co-founder of Nano Sent.

Two other teams are developing breathing analyzers using ultra-high frequency spectrum analyzers. Oren Sadev, CEO of TeraGroup, said patients were blown into a cigar-sized tube in a test to identify those infected with the virus.

Sadev explains that the device can handle two thousand tests a day, adding that the goal is not to make a clear diagnosis but to allow quick and cheap checks, as the respirator can be used in shopping centers or airports to quickly check the Corona virus.

Professor Gabi Sarousi of Ben Gurion University, which is developing a similar device to the Israeli Defense Research and Development Directorate, said that the size of the Corona virus and its electrical properties are prominent when analyzed at a high frequency, and should be detected several hours after a person is infected.

Monitoring of casualties
AnyVision has developed many interesting tools against the virus. The company uses surveillance and facial recognition technology, scanning faces at military checkpoints.

The company says its advanced facial analysis system, using deep learning technology, can identify the suspect from a crowd of fans in a crowded stadium.

Scientists at Tel Aviv Surasky Medical Center use the Annie system at the microscopic level, and train it to detect corona virus cells by looking for ways in which the virus changes healthy cells in the body.

Professor Dov Hirschkowitz said that their method provided results within a few minutes, with a margin of error of 5% or less, explaining that those who had positive results would still need to undergo another test to confirm the diagnosis.

Dr. Zimlichman said that the Sheba Medical Center had installed a network of about 600 surveillance cameras in public places, which triggered the alarm if a person entered a department without wearing a mask.

The Annision Program also allows identification of nurses with infectious diseases who need quarantine, as soon as the first symptoms of the disease appear.

"We can ask the system to show us anyone who has been in contact with that person, determines the distance and duration of the contact - for example: closer than two meters for more than five minutes - and gives us either a list of people or pictures," Zimlichman said.

Hamas tunnel robots assist doctors and
a number of projects aim to reduce direct contact between health workers and patients, and Temi is one of these projects, a project to build automatic assistants that Yossi Wolf developed to help Israeli soldiers deal with Hamas tunnels or chemical weapons.

The assistants Raphael and Alpet developed the helpers, installing the iPad on a wheelbase of one meter in height, to allow doctors to monitor patients or deliver medicines to them without entering their rooms.

Amira Sharon, vice president of IAI, said that the Israeli Aerospace Industries Corporation had turned a radar and photoelectric sensor system that is usually used to monitor across Israel's borders and discover enemies, into a device that can take vital signs of patients without touching them.

The company, at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, in the south, has also adapted the technical control equipment of its cockpit for fighter planes and helicopters, to store and analyze information about Corona virus patients using ventilators.

"It gives the medical staff a comprehensive picture of the patient's condition, with minimal contact, and it can generate early warning signs to see how the disease has developed," said Sharon.

Although Israel may have achieved relative success against the virus so far through technology without overcoming it, it says that the use of this military technology will make it ready in its next battle against epidemics.