Sheba Medical Center chooses two Israeli inventions to pilot in its new expanded rehab ward, with potential global benefits.
“Times of crisis present an opportunity to accelerate innovation and transformation in care,” says Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center and founding director of its ARC Innovation Center.
The current war is just such a crisis, and hundreds of wounded soldiers and civilians are benefiting from innovation in rehabilitation medicine.
Sheba, Israel’s largest medical center and a Newsweek-ranked world’s best hospital for the last five years, expanded its rehabilitation hospital in response to the war, adding a state-of-the-art 36-bed ward.
Israeli health-tech companies were invited to submit proposals for pilots in the new ward. Out of 82 companies that applied, eight were selected to pitch their solutions to a panel of Sheba clinicians and industry leaders.
Two of these eight finalists, Cognishine and Kemtai, were selected to trial their products.
Cognishine’s digital platform supports therapists in providing effective care for cognitive, emotional, speech and language disorders. To help patients regain these capabilities, the company offers a wide range of digitized therapeutic activities based on real-world scenarios.
“Cognishine extends the reach of medical professionals, enabling them to continue providing care through activities aiding cognitive abilities,” said Nimrod Zilkha, cofounder and CEO of Cognishine. “We are honored to play a role alongside Sheba helping soldiers recover from the war and get back to their daily lives.”
Kemtai is an AI-guided exercise platform for physical therapy and rehab, compatible with most phones and computers. The app provides real-time feedback and corrective guidance during exercise, enabling patients to improve their performance and accelerate recovery.
“Kemtai is enabling patients to fully adhere to their rehabilitation exercises with real-time AI guidance, helping achieve the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Mor Amitai, CEO of Kemtai. “Our pilot at Sheba will see even more patients with physical limitations recover through augmented exercise.”
Zimlichman said there is “an immense need for rehabilitation in Israel at this time” and that piloting these solutions can set new health protocols for the rest of the world.