Smartsound and SK Telecom announced on the 4th that they have signed a business cooperation agreement to provide artificial intelligence(AI) stethoscope for animals, WITHaPET, and AI auscultation and diagnosis services. It is expected to provide more accurate disease diagnosis services by adding not only video diagnosis but also AI auscultation and diagnosis to SK Telecom’s existing pet AI video diagnosis service, X Caliber.

Smartsound’s WITHaPET is an AI stethoscope for pets that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose heart disease early. SK Telecom’s X Caliber provides musculoskeletal, thoracic, and abdominal diagnosis using artificial intelligence based on pet X-ray images. By integrating the strengths of the two companies’ products, it is now possible to assist veterinarians with diagnosis, from auscultating a dog’s heart to reading x-ray images. It is expected to be actively used in veterinary clinics at home and abroad, as the incidence of heart disease is higher in older and smaller dog breeds.

“Through this cooperation agreement, we hope that veterinary clinics will be able to detect and treat heart disease in dogs through auscultation and X-ray images at an early stage, slow down the progression, and protect the lives of precious pets,” said Lee Jung-ho, CEO of Smartsound.

The new auscultation and imaging diagnosis AI service will be launched this year after integration. SK Telecom X Caliber’s distribution partner Covet will be in charge of domestic sales to its members, while the AI Auscultation standalone product will be sold at Smartsound’s distribution partner, Green Cross Veterinary Products. The two companies are also promoting business cooperation for the global expansion of AI integrated services.

Meanwhile, Smartsound is also accelerating its overseas expansion. Recently, business cooperation with veterinary clinics and veterinary telemedicine companies in the Japanese pet market has been decided and services are being prepared, and Japanese insurance companies are considering introducing it as a solution to streamline the animal insurance enrollment process.

Smartsound’s Skeeper, which is used on the human body, has been awarded the Minister of Science and ICT Award and the Minister of Health and Welfare Award as the first AI cardiopulmonary diagnosis solution in Korea. Currently, it is advancing its AI analysis technology through clinical trials with 10 general hospitals in Korea, including Seoul National University Hospital in Bundang and Korea University Hospital in Anam. Skeeper will be applied to the integrated care pilot project in Anyang City to support digital healthcare health services, and will be delivered to 189 diplomatic missions of 185 countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be utilized for telemedicine services.

[Source] : Seoul Economy (https://www.sedaily.com/NewsView/29VTV9FULD)

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[Keyword] : SK Telecom, Excalibur, Image diagnosis, AI diagnosis, Artificial intelligence, Pet stethoscope, Witherpet, Heart disease, Animal hospital