JERUSALEM, June 29 -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is planning to test a wearable device capable of monitoring a soldier's physical condition and alerting commanders to life-threatening distress, the Ma'ariv daily reported on Wednesday.The "physiological sensor," a miniature device developed by Israeli start-up Life Beam, attaches to the ear and simultaneously monitors critical physiological parameters, including blood pressure, breathing and heart rate, while the soldier is engaged in rigorous activities.The sensor can instantly discern life-threatening changes that point to heat stroke or dehydration, enabling early evacuation and treatment
.Life Beam was founded by two former Israeli Air Force pilots
, who served together and came up with the idea during their tour of duty."We saw incidents in which people died or nearly died, and began thinking of ways to prevent them," one of the founders, in his early 30s, told Ma'ariv.In April, Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology awarded the two scholarships to Singularity University, a prestigious ten- week seminar for 80 promising entrepreneurs, held by NASA and Google in California's Silicon Valley.While training-related fatalities are a rare occurrence in the IDF
, which routinely operates in extreme weather conditions, a handful of soldiers, mostly young trainees, have died over the past decade during desert exercises
."The sensor enables early detection when a soldier gets into trouble. You can halt the exercise and dispatch a medical team to assist him," a senior IDF's Medical Corps officer told the newspaper."Soldiers will be monitored in the future battlefield
," he said, adding that "militaries around the world are still only mulling the idea."A prototype of the device has undergone successful lab trials, and the Medical Corps said it plans to launch its own testing in coming months.While the IDF has already placed orders for the sensor for some special forces units
, its developers say their vision is to develop a civilian version that would save the lives of infants, the elderly, athletes and patients with chronic illnesses.Related Topics Articles：
