Making a splash in safety: Solutions to prevent pool drownings
Making a splash in safety: Solutions to prevent pool drownings
These four Israeli technologies utilize AI and other methods to reduce the likelihood of drowning
In the heat of the summer months, as masses flock to beaches and pools to stay cool, the threat of drowning becomes more pronounced. Drowning is a significant cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 5 people who die from drowning are children under the age of 14. On average, around 350 children under the age of 5 drown in pools each year in the United States. The majority of these incidents occur in residential settings, such as private or community pools. With this in mind, here are four life-saving Israeli technologies that were specifically designed to mitigate the risk of drowning.
1. SOSense
SOSense is an underwater sensor that detects any prohibited entry to the water and alerts pool owners with the help of audio signal analysis. The product was developed based on research showing that most pool drownings of children occur as a result of unsupervised entry into the pool. That is, most drownings do not occur when the adult supervisor is distracted, but rather as a result of unexpected and unsupervised entry.
Sector: Security
CEO: Yedidya Yaari
Founder: Ofer Verfel
Year founded: 2016
Funding: $5.53 million total, $4 million in Round A, led by Cresson Management LLC fund and joined by Avi Leumi, founder and former CEO of Aeronautics, later acquired by Rafael
2. Coral Smart Pool (formerly Coral Detection Systems)
Coral develops a drowning detection system for residential pools and is named for Coral Sheri, an 11-year-old Israeli girl who drowned with her friend Or Koren at the pool in 2014.The company’s Mylo device monitors the pool with a built-in underwater AI-based video camera to discern when a possible drowning occurs. The device is programmed to detect drownings by monitoring the people in the pool, as well as their position and motion underwater.
Sector: Security
CEO: Shadie Basharat
Founder: Eyal Golan (not the singer) and Dr. Tamar Avraham
Year founded: 2015
Funding: $6 million
3. SightBit
SightBit’s AI-based technology enables capabilities including human detection and classification, drowning detection, and hazard prediction. It also addresses climate challenges by detecting, monitoring, and providing alerts on events such as tsunamis, rip currents, and floods, while also providing management capabilities and security.
Sector: AI
CEO: Adam Bismut
Founder: CEO Adam Bismut
Year founded: 2020
Funding: $2 million, including the Israel Innovation Authority, InNegev Incubator, and angel investors
4. Lynxight
Lynxight is a cloud-based aquatic risk management service. Its proprietary AI connects to standard, onsite security cameras to manage and mitigate safety liability at sport and leisure facilities, including swimmer distress behavior, drowning risk, and pool overcrowding, as well as track swimmer count, and location.
Sector: Security
CEO: Omer Bar-Ilan
Founders: CEO Omer Bar-Ilan and CCO Eyal Amit
Year founded: 2019
Funding: $6 million in Round A, led by Champel Capital and Boresight, with participation from Aristagora VC, Brooks Capital, Open Valley, Gil Midyan and others.
First published: 14:17, 15.08.23
