The care for premature and vulnerable children in hospitals is very intensive. An extra pair of eyes and ears from a distance helps parents, nurses, and doctors to provide optimal care. The company Neolook is developing digital services for this, a strong camera system with extra sensors for movement, sound, and light. This ‘Neolook One’ enables remote live consultation and transmits live streams after alarms on monitors and care phones. This allows doctors and nurses to keep an eye on vulnerable patients wherever they are. This technology also enables parents to be connected to their children when they are not next to the incubator or bed. Neolook has successfully submitted an application to the Open Diagnostics Ecosystem (ODE) for the further development of this system. In this learning project, which runs from March 1 to June 30, 2023, Neolook is collaborating with the UMCG and the northern companies Pezy and the Telecom Service Group. Elke Veenman, Life Science and Health project leader at ODE, is pleased with the start of this new learning project: “The focus of this project fits in perfectly with the goal of ODE, namely to make the Northern Netherlands a global expert in developing innovative diagnostics. Neolook’s smart digital video cameras will help healthcare providers to make medical diagnoses in the future and to continue to provide optimal care, even when fewer hands are available at the bedside.
Technology as support
The video-augmented services developed by the Neolook company are used in the neonatal intensive care unit (prematures) and the pediatric intensive care unit (children aged three months to 18 years). “The point is that this works for the people around the vulnerable patients: the parents, nurses and doctors,” emphasizes Marco D’Agata, director of Neolook. “On the one hand, it is work-supporting technology to provide the right care. But above all, it should be a tool in the hands of the healthcare provider to use as they wish, that is the art. There were camera systems on the market, but they turned out to be completely unsuitable for the demands of healthcare professionals. So it is high time to create a fit-for-purpose solution that will serve the medical profession for years to come.”
Cooperation
The first collaboration with the UMCG dates back to 2019. Marco D’Agata: “We have a very good partner in the UMCG. After all, they are the ideal user, customer and expert in the field of application.” In this learning project, Neolook is the party that devises, designs and markets the innovative solution for this specific niche. But Neolook lacks high level hardware and design skills. Through ODE, Neolook has come into contact with two northern companies that complement them in this area. The company Pezy, engineering firm and product developer in Groningen, is developing the concept design of the Neolook One. The Telecom Service Group from Leek is a technical specialist in the field of sensors, including installation and maintenance. D’Agata sees the benefits of the ODE ecosystem: “Via ODE we ended up with the right local parties Pezy and the Telecom Services Group, who contribute relevant knowledge and skills. In this way, the development of our service is faster and we also have the parties close to each other who can deliver together: from design and production to installation and management.”
About Neolook
The start-up Neolook started in 2020 as a spin-out from Philips. The company specializes in intensive care for vulnerable newborns and children. Using so-called video augmented services, the application of smart digital video with data, software, algorithms and artificial intelligence, Neolook develops practical applications for the care team of professionals, parents and family. The company supports hospitals that use progressive care concepts such as Family Centered Care, Family Integrated Care or Neurodevelopmental care. Neolook works at a national level with hospitals, health insurers and the Dutch AI coalition to improve care for the smallest citizens. More info: www.neolooksolutions.com
