Out of 23 pieces of work that Cannes’ Innovation jury reviewed in pain-staking detail, only one was selected as the Grand Prix. It’s no wonder Klick Health’s “Voice 2 Diabetes” for KVI Brave Fund was the claimant, given the doors the tool will open for generations of innovators and inventors to comes.
While still being tested, the potentially life-saving tool is less costly and less invasive than a standard diabetes testing method. Instead of pricking a finger or taking a blood sample, the “Voice 2 Diabetes” can detect type 2 diabetes just by having a person speak into their smartphone. The tool came about after scientists analyzed more than 18,000 voice recordings and found unique features such “pitch, jitter and shimmer” in those with the condition.
“Imagine the possibilities of being able to use your voice to analyze your health,” Diego Machado, Global CCO at AKQA Global and Innovation jury president, told reporters after revealing Klick’s work as the ultimate winner for the category.
“This is probably the first step, and a few years from now, maybe within 10 years, we’re going to look back and say, ‘Oh my god, that was the first time we were using voice for diagnosis.’ We don’t just believe that is a great idea for this brand, it opens the door for so many others.”
When judging the pieces this week, he said the jury began by removing the “distractions” that come with technology, and focusing on the core concept, asking if it was a powerful, creative and innovative idea.
In the end, Machado believes the panel was able to reduce the portfolio of entries to eight pieces that are a “combination of highly technological work but also very simple product adjustments.”
Machado said the Innovation category is one that stands for the future, particularly when it comes to data.
“We saw really beautiful projects that managed to get raw data from the world, from the clouds, from your own body, from the product,” added Machado. “The ideas that we are awarding are the ones that took data and transformed it into something new, something unique.”
