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During the first month of Israel’s war against Hamas, Shani Bibi spent every night at her parents’ apartment in Ramat Gan.
Her father, Gabriel, and mother, Miriam, were both deaf and fell asleep even when they heard air raid sirens.
She moved to wake them if necessary and ensured they reached the shelter within 90 seconds.
But as the entrepreneur behind CODA, a startup that uses AI to instantly convert spoken language into sign language, she was convinced there had to be a better solution.
And she found it. It’s a smart watch. If you download an app like the Siren app provided by Home Front Command, which most Israelis have on their smartphones, the watch will vibrate to wake you up.
Bibi tested smartwatches from 20 makes and models and found that only the Xiaomi 8 had easy connectivity with the siren app and the ability to set the length and intensity of the vibrations.
She distributed the first batch of over 300 watches to Tel Aviv’s deaf community.
Ron Hulday, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, said: “Our job in these complex times is to care for all residents of the city. I bought a vibrating smartwatch that alerts me. These days, social resilience, accessibility, and equality are more important than ever. We need to take care of everyone who needs us right now. continue.”
Bibi believes that it is ultimately the government’s responsibility to ensure that all citizens, deaf and hard of hearing, are warned of incoming rockets. She fears the need will become more acute if attacks from Lebanon on northern Israel intensify further.
“If I, as a hearing person, can find a solution, the Home Front Command, the government and local authorities need to find a solution for deaf people who cannot hear sirens. In a world of equality, there is a solution for everyone. There should be.”
I can’t sleep at night
Bibi is the CEO and co-founder of CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), a startup that translates speech into real-time sign language.
CODA is one of nine winners of MassChallenge Israel’s 2023 Early Stage Accelerator Program.
She said that of Israel’s population of 9.3 million, about 800,000 people are deaf or hard of hearing, of which about 50,000 are deaf or deafblind. Their needs are greatest.
“Every day I talk to deaf people who say they can’t sleep at night,” says Bibi. “While the wife was sleeping, her husband would be awake and then the shift would change. While he was sleeping, she would be awake. It’s crazy that people have to live like that.” is.”
She is able to sleep in her own home again now that her parents have a smartwatch that alerts her to the danger of rocket bombs.
Her immediate goal is to raise 80,000 shekels ($20,700) to cover the cost of about 400 watches for deaf and hard-of-hearing Holon residents. After that, she hopes to expand to her two other cities, Givat in central Israel, Shmuel, and Kiryat in southern Rehovot, Ekron.
Bibi has created a sign language video that explains how to connect your Xiaomi 8 smartwatch to the Home Front Command app.
“A smartwatch should have the option to connect to different apps on your phone and set the duration and intensity of the vibrations,” she says.
CODA does not yet have a website or social media. For more information, please email Shanibibi at shanibibi25@gmail.com.
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