Israel Active

There were seven winners of the prestigious Wolf Prize in the fields of medicine, architecture, agriculture, chemistry and mathematics. They included Haifa-born architect Moshe Safdie, and Jerusalem-born Prof. David Zilberman who is an expert in agricultural and resource economics.

Israeli startup Wiliot has developed a Bluetooth-enabled sensor that harvests energy from radio waves. It provides power to internet-of-things (IoT) devices, without the need of batteries or mains (wired) electricity.

Brazil’s Santos Lab is to use drones (UAVs) and advanced analytics from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for large scale agricultural applications. IAI’s BirdEye 650D UAV includes a hyper-spectral wide coverage imager, uniquely developed for the precision agriculture market.

Israeli-founded startup ClimaCell (renamed Tomorrow.ai) develops a highly accurate weather forecasting system, capable of predicting the weather on a minute-by-minute basis. It uses data from weather databases as well as from wireless networks, internet-of-things (IoT) devices, and cellular networks.

Israel’s Transportation Ministry is to launch a pilot in Eilat of “smart” air-conditioned bus stops. The enclosed modules will have automatic doors, interactive controls, touch screens and real-time schedules – all accessible to passengers with disabilities.

Israeli startup Woojer has developed a vest incorporating “haptic” technology. It gives the wearer physical sensations, converting musical sounds or Virtual Reality actions into vibrations transmitted via the vest. For a unique multisensory experience, it probably beats everything you can imagine!

Israel’s EyeCue Vision Technologies has solved the problem of how to generate 3D content. EyeCue’s app scans real life objects placed on a paper mat printed directly from the app.  It then takes multiple pictures and uses an Alternate Reality dome to create a 3D model for use in almost unlimited applications.

I reported previously when Israel’s OrCam launched MyEye - a device for the visually impaired that recognizes faces and translates speech to text. Now, the OrCam MyMe wearable camera identifies people you meet and links to a work-balance app on your smartphone or smart watch.

80% of automobile accidents occur at night, or in adverse weather conditions such as fog, haze and dust storms. Israel’s TriEye Technologies is developing a high-resolution shortwave infra-red (SWIR) camera that will help vehicle drivers see perfectly, even in low-visibility situations.

I reported previously on the Artificial Intelligent image analysis system from Israel’s Cortica. Japanese semiconductor company Renesas Electronics is partnering with Cortica and will embed its computer learning technology into Renesas’ new system-on-chip for the automotive industry.