Israel Active

One team at the JCT LevTech women’s hackathon developed an electronic bracelet alarm for the hard of hearing. It vibrates when it detects a rocket siren and thus alerts the wearer to the need to get to a bomb shelter. It can even differentiate from other alarms or similar sounds.

Israel’s Iron Dome system developer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems set a challenge for the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) annual women’s hackathon - image processing to benefit humanity. The winning entry detected if an elderly person fell and notified their emergency contact.

SatGuard from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI helps extend the life of orbiting satellites. SatGuard’s Earth-based AI system uses the satellite’s telemetry data to detect anomalies and faults at an early stage and alert the satellite operator to take appropriate action to prevent system failure.

20 Israeli smart mobility companies have set up a consortium with Netivei Israel, aiming to reduce accidents and congestion on Israeli roads. Its core is the non-profit Israel Smart Mobility Living Lab (ISMLL) which is piloting a study along a 28km section of Coastal highway 2 south from Netanya.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed a molecular bio sensor to detect early signs of plant stress, allowing farmers time to prevent crop failures. The sensor has been tested on potatoes – vital for world food security (and Israeli exports) but could be adapted to other key crops.

Israel’s Hailo (see previously) has won the 2021 Edge AI and Vision Product of the Year Awards for ‘Best Edge AI Processor’. The award recognized that Hailo’s AI chip transforms visual intelligence, enabling smart devices to run neural network-based applications more effectively at the edge.

Israel’s Aquarius Engines (see previously) has modified its innovative 10kg free-piston linear engine to use hydrogen fuel. The engine can greatly reduce global emissions and carbon footprint of automobiles and bring light to the developing nations (see video).

Israel-based Mobileye (now part of Intel) and Germany’s ZF Friedrichshafen AG are partnering to build advanced driver assistance and safety (ADAS) technology for Toyota. Mobileye’s EyeQ4 vision system, plus ZF’s Gen 21 radar, will interpret the environment around Toyota vehicles.

Israel’s Wasteless (see previously) uses variable pricing to reduce the amount of supermarket food that is thrown away. Wasteless has just partnered Germany’s NX-Food, which operates the METRO stores chain. METRO’s first implementation will be at its Makro subsidiary in Poland. (BBC radio 4 Positive Idea 2020 winner).

Google and Amazon Web Services have signed Israel’s $1 billion “Project Nimbus” contract to move the data of Israeli Government ministries and other public entities to “the cloud”. It will generate 3,000 jobs for local Israeli companies, which will build and operate Israel’s cloud-based data centers and services.