Israel Active

Israeli supermarket chain Shufersal is deploying the smart shopping trolleys from Israel’s Shopic (see previously) at 200 of its largest stores starting 2022. Computer vision tracks when customers add and remove items from their shopping cart and allows them to skip the checkout.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University detected an unprecedented 73% of the lies told by participants in a trial based on the contraction of their facial muscles. The technology, already commercialized by Israel’s , uses stickers containing electrodes to monitor muscles and nerves.

The U.S. Treasury Department is expanding cooperation with Israel to combat the threat of ransomware. It is to set up a U.S.-Israeli Task Force on Fintech Innovation and Cybersecurity. The Treasury will also send delegates to the CyberTech Global Tel Aviv conference in January.

Israeli food giant Strauss Group is launching Humix - an instant hummus-making machine, aimed at cafés, restaurants, hotels etc., that wish to serve hummus without making it. It combines cooked, ground, and seasoned chickpea mash with raw tahini paste at the push of a button.

Hebrew University Professor Oded Shoseyov (see previously) has set up 17 companies developing super-performing materials. His most promising one is Smart Resilin which aims to produce industrial quantities of resilin - the natural material that fleas use to jump relatively huge heights.

Israeli startup CleanCoin encourages the public to pick up litter by paying them virtual currency “clean coins”. These can be exchanged for cash, store discounts or donated to charity. Users can also earn coins when they map trash, sort it, or transport it to recycling centers.

The University of Hong Kong has launched an innovation center in Tel Aviv to promote the cooperation between Israel, Hong Kong, and the Greater Bay Area. The first program begins at the end of December and will focus on desertification technology challenges.

Israel is to build a high-tech park in Nazareth - a first of its kind for Israel’s Arab sector. The 10-acre NIS 21 million park will be built in Nazareth’s industrial zone, house industrial plants and employ some 200 high-tech employees.

Israel’s Sufresca (see previously) develops edible food coatings that extend shelf life, prevent food waste, and reduce plastic packaging. Sufresca has also won Fi Europe’s award for Most Innovative Processing Technology and the NexTerra Challenge for most promising new technology.

Israel’s OrCam Technologies (see previously) has won a CES 2022 Innovation Award - its third consecutive win at the annual awards. Orcam’s MyEye PRO voice-activated wearable device was named an innovation honoree in the Accessibility and Health and Wellness category.