AI for Good blog

The most recent ITU AI For Good’s Innovation Factory Challenge focused on start-ups that are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the access and affordability of healthcare services around the world. Telebionix were the winners, with an impressive digital solution for allowing the elderly and others with limited mobility to access quality healthcare from the comfort and convenience of their own homes. This solution aims to increase access for remote and underserved communities around the world.

We spoke to Widy Medina, CEO of Telebionix about his solution. Here are five things you should know about our AI for Good Innovation Factory winner: 

Can you tell us more about your winning solution?  

People say necessity is the mother of invention; they are right. For business reasons, I moved to California and away from my family, who are still back in Virginia. Too often, I heard about the odyssey my mother went through taking my father to the doctor, an Alzheimer’s patient at the time. 

She is an elderly but strong woman taking my father from his “comfort” environment on a five-to-six-hour ordeal to measure vitals and say everything was still the same. When you extrapolate that experience to all patients with mobility challenges, who live more than 40 miles from the closest healthcare facility, who’s health could be further compromised when exposed to a hospital or medical office environment, you quickly conclude that there must be a better way. 

Telebionix as a company and our Remosense product was born out of frustration with the current health-care system we have today.  

“Our mission is to use existing and new digital tools to improve the patient experience while giving healthcare professionals the right tools to work with patients remotely. AI tools can better sensor performance and learn from a diagnostic to become an assistant to the doctor over time.”

I was lucky to have already a great team of engineers and product design experts, as we worked under different banners together on multiple projects. It was time for us to own our future and make products that impact society significantly.  

Where are you from and what regions do you work in? 

We have people from almost every continent as part of the founding team. I come from humble beginnings in Puerto Rico. The company HQ is in California, and the European Community is inviting us to create an AI Research team stationed there, which we are seriously considering. Our product is global; we are starting with the US and Canada market soon to expand to South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. 

Watch the winning pitch here 

How can your solution help to solve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?  

We are excited to say we not only fit into one of the UN sustainable development goals but in three categories; Good Health and Wellness, Innovation, and Reduce Inequalities when it comes to Health Equity. Our solution facilitates access to quality healthcare. It gives remote patients the opportunity to meet with doctors regularly, increasing the effectiveness of treatment plans.  

What is your biggest challenge as an AI start-up?  

Amazingly I would have to say, the use of the two letters, AI. So many ventures have used the term loosely and often incorrectly, that the investors first reaction when you mention AI during a presentation is either a big laugh, sigh, or even more direct comment, “Here we go again”.  

Sadly, we need to understand that AI is not the best solution for everything, and not everything can be called AI. It is a tool, and like every tool, it has a nut or screw where it works perfectly.  

In summary, the challenge is finding the right investment team that understands the use of AI and understands the technology’s advantages to the mission.  

Why did you join the Innovation Factory Pitching Competition?  

There is no better platform to expose our mission and vision to the world and where we can find an audience that perfectly understands why we are using AI and the impact it will have on making our solution stronger by the day. 

To find out more about Telebionix’s recent work watch the videos below: