Israel Active

Israel’s Augwind has won an Israeli government tender to build Israel’s first battery using compressed air technology, to store renewable energy and generate electricity when required. Augwind and France’s EDF will build and operate a power plant and storage system in Israel’s Negev desert.

Israel’s Ministry of Transportation has requested all ride-sharing companies to share their data for integrating on a single app to be developed by Netivei Ayalon (reported previously). Information includes vehicle availability, their location and the location of available parking spaces.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University are developing vegan milk that comes “from yeast, not beast”. Like Israel’s Remilk (reported previously), the product has the same proteins, taste, aroma and texture as dairy milk, but no hormones, antibiotics, lactose or environmentally damaging cows.

Israel’s Cust2Mate, now part of Israeli-founded A2Z Technologies Corp, has developed a smart shopping trolley. Input your shopping list into the mobile app, and the smart cart will guide you through the store. Currently in Israeli trials and soon reported to go on sale in the UAE.

Israeli-founded, Texas-based Qualitas Health has developed iwi, a microalgae source of protein and omega-3 that grows in saltwater. Although now US-owned, Qualitas’ largest investor is Israel’s Minrav and Israeli-founded PeakBridge VC helped raise $10 million of new funds.

Israeli hi-tech startup IMD Technologies (IMDT) has partnered with UK-based virtual reality (VR) startup Condense Reality to develop a new system for streaming hologram-style 3D video. It allows viewers to watch live sports events in full surround 3D either with a VR headset or even on their tabletop.

There are currently some 80 municipal electric buses operating in Israel. New funding of NIS 47 million will increase this number to 200. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has now issued its roadmap for all Israeli bus companies to transition to zero-emission buses by 2025.

Intel Israel’s face recognition tool RealSense (reported previously) has now been enhanced to provide secure and accurate facial authentication. It can even recognize a face with new facial hair or glasses.

Israel’s Arbe Robotics (reported previously) is planning to launch its high-resolution vehicle radar in 2022. The technology outperforms standard radar, which misinterprets stationary objects, and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) which suffers in snow, fog or bright light.

The International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2021 – the first to be held virtually, featured more than two dozen Israeli-founded companies – 19 in the virtual Israeli pavilion. Two, OrCam (reported previously) and Voiceitt, had already won CES 2021 “Best of Innovation” Awards.