[Courtesy of KT]
Demands for voice-based health monitoring are steadily increasing as non-face-to-face medical treatments have gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Data released by market research firm Coherent Market Insights showed that the global voice biomarker market is projected to reach about 6 trillion won ($4.3 billion) in 2027 at an annual average growth rate of 15.5 percent.
Sonde Health has developed many vocal biomarker technologies that can monitor physical conditions through subtle changes in vocal strength, pitch and vocal tract movements. Global companies adopted the digital medicine company's vocal biomarker technologies such as "Lea," a mild cognitive impairment monitoring application commercialized by Danish hearing aid manufacturer GN Group.
KT invested some $2 million in Sonde Health in a plan to upgrade the telecom company's voice-based businesses such as AI call centers and speakers. "Based on Sonde Health's excellent technological competitiveness, we will create synergies with KT's global businesses," KT's AI and digital transformation convergence business division head Song Jae-ho said in a statement on November 10.
Because the voice biomarker technology can be used to help foreign patients regardless of the languages they speak, KT will utilize Sonde Health's technology in telemedicine services in Vietnam. KT runs a telemedicine service in Vietnam to treat diabetes and other diseases. In April 2022, the company partnered with a medical school in Hanoi to carry out the proof of concept (PoC) demonstration of a remote medical service platform for patients with chronic diseases.