Tokyo's Hello Kitty Land employs use of Israeli technology to remain open

Leveraging artificial intelligence, signal processing and machine vision capabilities, the Binah.ai developed technology that can transform cameras into a vital signs monitoring tool.

By ZACHARY KEYSER
Sanrio Puroland, or Hello Kitty Land. (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Sanrio Puroland, or Hello Kitty Land.
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Hello Kitty Land in Tokyo, Japan will stay open amid the coronavirus with a little assistance from Israeli technology made by Binah.ai solutions.
Tel Aviv start-up Binah.ai's main project revolves around a video-based health monitoring system using facial recognition software, which had began the early stages of its development months before the coronavirus outbreak.
However, along with the onset of the pandemic, Binah.ai decided to transition its development for use in preventing the spread of COVID-19 - as many other medical software and tech start-ups have also done as the world looks for new solutions to return to normalcy.
"The spread of the corona virus around the world has led to a sharp increase in demand for non-contact medical diagnostic technologies, with the aim of locating and preventing possible exposure to the coronavirus," said CEO of Japanese insurance giant SOMPO Innovation Lab Israel Yinon Dolev.
SOMPO will be employing Binah.ai's technology into use within the leisure and entertainment industries in Japan by motoring the health of workers amid the pandemic, hoping to filter entrances into the workplace, malls and even theme parks.
SOMPO developed an application using Binah.ai's technology named Health Checker, which allows smartphone users to check vital signs using photographs taken of a subject by the phone.
Leveraging artificial intelligence, signal processing and machine vision capabilities, the Binah.ai developed technology that can transform cameras into a vital signs monitoring tool, late last year.
The company’s solution monitors an individual’s heart rate within seven seconds, oxygen saturation within 10 seconds, respiration rate within 30 seconds, and heart rate variability within 45 seconds. Within 90 seconds, the app can also assess mental stress levels.
The technology, as explained by the company, relies on the simple and long-established optical technique of photoplethysmography, often used in pulse oximeters or “finger clips” to measure blood flow. Rather than shining a light beam into body tissue, the company’s technology analyzes the reflection of light that returns to the camera from the cheeks.
The system has already been put into place at the Sanrio Puroland theme park, or Hello Kitty Land. It closed in February amid the initial coronavirus outbreak and subsequent spread, but reopened its gates once again in July.
The software at the moment is intended and used specifically for park employees to check themselves daily, SOMPO hopes to extend the software into widespread testing for park guests as well - then to parks, stadiums, etc. across Japan in the coming months.
"We are pleased to begin this collaboration at the Sanrio Puroland Amusement Park using Binah.ai technology, and believe that the collaboration will help the entertainment and leisure industry in Japan return to routine," said Dolev. "Beyond that, we are constantly working to expand our business portfolio and create collaborations with startups that offer smart and unique technologies in the fields of medical devices and cybersecurity, all with the aim of improving the services we provide to our millions of customers worldwide."
"The coronavirus crisis underscores the importance of using innovative technologies that help the medical world deal with the extreme and returning to routine," said CEO of Binah.ai David Maman. "We welcome the collaboration with SOMPO and believe that artificial intelligence has the power to create creative solutions that will help us lead a routine life in the shadow of the coronavirus."
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.


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