Israel Active

On Tu B’Shvat – the New Year for Trees in Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israeli agro-tech at an exhibit of Israel’s latest developments at the Agricultural Research Organization’s Volcani Center, in Beit Dagan near Tel Aviv.

Israeli app HearMeOut reinvents vocal features in social media.

Israel’s OrCam has moved on from its camera that helps visually impaired. It has now launched MyMe – an augmented attention device that gives you an extra eye and ear. It can perform face recognition, speech to text translation, time analysis etc. OrCam also opened a European HQ in London.

Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry is to invest NIS 14 million ($3.5 million) in projects to encourage use of public transportation and bicycles. The funds are in addition to the NIS 6 million ($1.5 million) transferred to local authorities in the past year to promote similar initiatives.

Israeli startup Utilis (now Asterra) uses readily-available satellite images to pinpoint underground water leaks. Spectral microwave imaging, plus Utilis’ patented set of algorithms, tracks the “signature” of drinking water as it leaks from distribution pipes.

Israel’s Ga’ash Lighting is installing its Apollo smart LED streetlights in the South Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam. The lights not only save energy, but they include Wi-Fi repeaters, security cameras, temperature and air quality sensors, and systems to measure traffic congestion.

Israeli startup Shopicks has launched a platform to help you discover, collect, organize, and manage all of your online shopping. It also sends you sale alerts for your items, tells you where the items are sold locally and can share shopping ideas with friends to get feedback. (Link doesn't work) (video no longer exists)

Israel’s Interacting Technology, via its Spanish subsidiary Sportech Interactech, is to upgrade Real Madrid’s official mobile app. The Spanish soccer club seeks to add online games and develop communication and interaction between fans, which would contribute to its monetization.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has launched Israel’s first center for research into 3D and functional printing - for example adding light emission or movement to a 3D-printed object. It will help develop the printing of sophisticated 3D products such as robots, solar equipment, radiation detectors, smart windows and medical devices.

Israel’s RapidAPI saves 70% of app development time as it provides the operations common to most apps, such as entering user name and password, purchases, and data keeping. Developers can borrow and insert RapidAPI’s routines into their apps without having to write a single line of original code.