From the mind of Daniel Ek, founder of Spotify, comes the startup that can predict diseases through accurate diagnostic analysis of the patient’s body
From streaming music to research to improve the Swedish (and global) health care system: this is the path that entrepreneur Daniel Ek, founder and owner of the well-known Spotify, has been following in recent years. It was in 2018 when Ek, together with engineer Hjalmar Nilsonne, developed the first prototype of what we now know as Neko, at the time simply HJN Sverige: an artificial intelligence capable of “learning” data about diseases and diagnosing preventive treatments.
After four years of development and more than 30 million euros of investment, HJN Sverige changed its name to Neko Health, the technological vanguard that aims to disrupt the paradigms, now outdated according to Ek, of traditional diagnostics.
Through a screening of about 15 minutes, Neko is able, according to its developers, to analyze more than 50 million pieces of data regarding skin, breathing and heartbeat in order to provide an optimal and accurate diagnostic picture of the patient’s health condition, so as to “anticipate” any health problems not yet apparent. The cost? Between 150 and 180 euros.
“We need to treat our bodies the way we treat our cars,” explains Daniel Ek.
“Constantly reviewing our body, monitoring its changes and anticipating diseases is crucial; we should not wait until we fall apart to take action, finding ourselves dealing with issues that have become, then, unsolvable. With Neko it will be possible, with the support of specialized physicians, to have structured diagnostics on our current state of health, so that we can move ahead of different issues.”
Neko is able, with its artificial intelligence and machine learning principles, to “learn” and improve itself through new cases analyzed, through data input from the supporting medical staff, improving exam after exam. It took four years to successfully complete the development phase but now, according to Ek, the prototype is ready for launch.
Photo : Pexels
Author: Alessandro Volpe