Israel Active

Meet Rom Bachar and Hila Riblov - members of the team that, even before they reached the age of 18, launched nanosatellites into space. Also, Idan Raen and his pioneering work in astrophysics. Finally, budding neurologist Orit Shahar. Israel’s future is as bright as its stars.

I reported previously on Israeli-founded Sky and Space Global and its nano-satellites. Sky and Space has just been shortlisted for an award in the category "Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets". The winner will be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

A team led by Tel Aviv University researchers have reported that supermassive black holes grow suddenly by devouring a large amount of gas in their surroundings. It follows an event in Feb 2017 known as AT 2017bgt when radiation emitted around the black hole in the Milky Way grew 50 times brighter.

More information on Israel’s Equinom which is developing non-GMO seeds that produce high-yielding, protein-rich crops (including chickpeas, sesame, and soy) with less water consumption and reduced waste.  See how Equinom solved a 3000-year-old problem with sesame.

I reported previously on Israel’s Seakura which is growing 100 tons of seaweed a year on land in purified seawater pools. Yossi Tal, Seakura’s Chief Technology Officer sees the 30% protein seaweed as the future of low cost, sustainable, environmentally friendly farming.

Israel’s NRGene, in partnership with Toyota’s environmentally-friendly DNA analysis initiative, has decoded the strawberry genome – one of the most complex in nature. It will help farmers in Japan breed local strawberry varieties. Japan is among the world’s highest raw strawberry consumer.

I reported previously on Israel’s Arbe Robotics and its ultra-high-resolution 4D imaging radar. Arbe has just launched Phoenix - its automotive 4D product. The images are 100 times more detailed than other top industry radars and it separates stationary and moving objects in real time.

Israel’s Foretellix develops a vehicle verification system for testing autonomous vehicles against a common standard. It includes millions of potential safety scenarios, even as unlikely as what to do if the car encounters a tsunami. Foretellix has just raised $14 million of funds.

Israeli startup TinyTap is a social platform where families, teachers and students can create personalized educational apps. They can also play thousands of new games shared daily by a global community of educators and students.

Israeli startup InZiv produces inspection equipment that identifies defects in the pixels of high-resolution screen displays. InZiv has just raised $2.5 million of funds to develop its tools for the new generation of advanced flat panel displays.