A revealing scientific breakthrough
Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a new way to produce and control terahertz waves, which can pass through opaque materials to detect hidden objects and reveal their composition. The scientists shone infra-red light at nano-structured materials, to generate the terahertz waves.
Israel’s national communications satellite
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) will develop and build Israel’s national communication satellite, “Dror 1”. The deal with the Israeli Government is worth $190 million and is intended to fulfill the country’s satellite communication needs for the next 15 years.
Milk chocolate, same taste, nearly half the sugar
The SureChoc project is a partnership between leading industrial bodies and the UK’s University of Reading. Its milk chocolate bar uses special sugar developed by Israel’s DouxMatok . It has the same taste as regular chocolate, but 44% less sugar and more fiber.
Top Nine is number one
Top Nine is the most popular Instagram app in the US and UK. It gives Instagram users a three-by-three grid collage of their most popular posts. It was developed by Kevin Natanzon, founder of Beta Labs, who attributes his Aliya, and the Israeli startup ecosystem, as the reason Top Nine went viral.
Autonomous taxis in South Korea
Israel-based Mobileye will test and deploy robot taxis powered by its autonomous vehicle technology in Daegu, South Korea. Rollout is planned by 2022. Mobileye has already announced its plans to have hundreds of autonomous taxis operating in Tel Aviv’s streets, also by 2022.
App helps visually impaired avoid obstacles
Students at Israel’s Technion Institute have been awarded the IEEE International Student Projects Award for an app to increase the safety of visually impaired individuals. The “Bionic Eye” app sends vibrations to the belt of the user to help negotiate stairways and other obstacles.
Record number of Israeli startups at CES 2020
This newsletter reported last week that three dozen Israeli startups exhibited at CES 2020 Las Vegas. It has now been reported that there were far more. 70 Israeli startups presented their technologies, just in the area of transportation, smart cities, and logistics.
Turning garbage into energy
One of the recipients of the latest joint US-Israel BIRD foundation grant is Israel’s Exency. Together with US Brayton Energy they are developing “a low-cost and high-efficiency solid biomass and solid waste fueled electricity generation system” in the Israeli town of Sderot.
Enjoy the ride
At CES 2020 Israel’s Mobileye released this video of a ride through Jerusalem’s busy streets in an autonomous car controlled by Mobileye’s 12-camera sensor suite. It negotiates road works, unprotected left turns, busy roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and some very heavy traffic. And it doesn’t put a foot wrong.
A PA for the blind and deaf
At CES 2020, Israel’s OrCam launched an upgraded MyEye 2 with AI and voice commands. It has become a wearable Personal Assistant for the visually disabled. OrCam also won the show’s “Best Innovation” award for OrCam Hear, for the hard-of-hearing to follow a conversation in a noisy room.