Welcome to Brain Gym

All we care about our bodies maintain good condition, but the Cognifit Israeli start-up focuses on developing a new kind of training - one that keeps our minds fit.

"Our products essentially complement what we do in the gym. We want to convince people - particularly those older than their minds need to stay in shape just like their bodies," said Prof. Shlomo Breznitz, company president, told ISRAEL21c.

CogniFit creates advanced applications that determine, train and enhance cognitive and psychomotor skills. It does this by combining the latest discoveries and the most current knowledge about the human brain with advanced technologies and communication techniques.

CogniFit's goal is to become a world leader in the development, maintenance and marketing its range of applications in the field of cognitive and psychomotor fitness.

The company is developing a suite of products for use on any personal computer that will significantly improve the quality of life among its users by offering the user a personal training system. This training system will be adapted to user needs and progress continuously.

Cognifit Breznitz is the idea, former President and former rector of Haifa University and one of the most prominent researchers in the field of psychology in Israel.

Been playing with the idea of ​​a "brain gym" over 20 years, focusing on the concept of developing a program to improve cognitive functioning, particularly among the elderly.

Five years ago he retired from academia and concentrated exclusively on his idea in a small business in the industrial area of ​​Tzipori in Galilee.

"The coincidence of two factors made it clear that it was the right time to develop my idea," says Breznitz. "First there were the discoveries that showed it was possible to improve brain function. The second was the availability of personal computers, which means that people could make their" brain training "at home".

The company, which began in a tiny office with a handful of employees, has gained momentum, now employs 27 workers.

When he designed the concept, the original goal was to create a product Breznitz that improve the quality of life for seniors. But the CEO of the company, Amicai Bar-Nir, 36, said the first took place in the market and more specifically clarified that improvement: driver training.

Statistics show that drivers over age 60 are involved in more road accidents together, as well as a higher percentage of more severe accidents, with younger drivers between 17 and 20 years.

The first commercial product Cognifit driver called DriveFit, has a model that is targeting the elderly. But it turned out the most popular model is a program for young drivers, which is being used in large international driving schools.

"We set our product direct to the elderly and we are marketing to young people and this is how we develop our program for the improvement and confirmation of cognitive skills for which he learned to drive," says Bar-Nir.

DriveFit is a strong and sophisticated program that has a scientifically proven way to improve the skills and abilities that lead. Based on long driving tests conducted by prominent psychologists, training clearly improves DriveFit plays and various mental processes associated with driving. Designed for use on computers, DriveFit only fits the needs and weaknesses of the user.

Consists of sections DriveFit review and training. In the review section, participants performed a series of tasks associated with various skills used to conduct such as reaction time, short-term memory, visual search, and others. On the basis of the evaluation, the training section develops a program that allows users to practice specific skills that need improvement. At the end of each task, the purpose of the task and its importance for driving are described and a graph visually represents the results.

The program has already been successfully exported to England, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, USA and Canada.

The British School of Motoring - one of the largest driving schools in the world that trains more than 200,000 students each year - has integrated DriveFit in your program, and more than 40,000 British and driving students have improved their ability to think and conduct with its use. The research found that students who used the program improved their chances of passing first driving test by 30 percent, and recently received an award Cognifit of the British crown for his contribution to road safety by introducing this new element in the training the driver.

Recently, DriveFit was adopted by the Young Drivers of Canada: the largest North American driving school to teach novice drivers. Founded in 1970, has about 100 centers across Canada and she trains nearly 48,000 students each year. Young Drivers, owned by Ford Motor Company, is dedicated to road safety and provides students and parents the highest level of training to drive.

Programs that are exported to every country alike - are designed to meet specific customer requirements depending on usage. Currently, the company also is developing products for professional drivers of trucks and buses.

Breznitz is still determined to reach your product eventually driving population veterans.

"The problem of the elderly and impaired driving schools is becoming a general problem throughout the Western world, particularly in the United States. On the one hand, public safety needs to be protected on the other hand, the governments do not wish to deny independence for older drivers, particularly those living in the suburbs and are totally dependent on their ability to drive. "

At the same time, the company is developing products for other applications too.

"As far as we are concerned, exports continue to grow and there is no limit to the products we are developing," says Breznitz.

Future plans include a product called MindFit healthy elderly people, which the company hopes to have ready for the Anglophone market in two months.

The company is also about to start developing a product for those in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, which develops in cooperation with a company in Britain.

In the future, they hope to develop products that enhance children's cognitive skills - for both healthy children and those who suffer from Attention Disorder and other learning disabilities.

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Source: Israel21c.com