Israel Active

Another wow year. The 19th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference was introduced by Israel’s President Herzog. His message was “working together” for “the future of humanity”.

Israel’s Rail Vision develops AI-based safety technology for railways. It has just received European certification for its Main Line system which uses 2km range vision sensors to assess risks and detect threats for the railway industry. Even in poor visibility, they can prevent deadly collisions.

Israel’s MazeBolt has developed RADAR – a system that constantly checks a company’s websites and reports any vulnerabilities to DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. It performs a real attack on the webserver, but not disruptive enough to crash it. The server is then re-checked after fixing.

It took over seven years (see previously) but Israeli-developed wristcam is a smart wristband that uniquely turns an Apple Watch into a camera capable of taking photos and recording video and audio, without relying on an accompanying phone.

Synergy7 is an innovation hub in Be’er Sheva, aimed at boosting both the area and the entire Israeli tech sector. The Israel Innovation Authority is providing NIS 100 million of funding and it is backed by Ben Gurion University, Clalit Healthcare, Elbit Systems, Dell, and the Merage Foundation.

Israel’s Exodigo (see previously) is working on the US Department of Energy’s GOPHURRS project to modernize America’s aging power grid using underground technologies. The US is also funding Exodigo to provide 3D maps of the country’s power lines.

Israeli biotech Pluri (previously Pluristem) has launched its cell-based coffee. It is estimated to cut water usage by 98% compared to traditional methods of production. Pluri plans to spin out its cell-based coffee as a new subsidiary focused on developing innovative products for the coffee industry.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University used CRISPR gene editing to reduce the time that tomatoes transpire - open their stoma to photosynthesis - which also causes evaporation. Less evaporation means less water needed for irrigation.

Israel’s Kornit Digital (see previously) and Israeli design school Shenkar College, teamed up to create a way of transforming the waste into a useful everyday product – a handbag made from discarded salmon skin. The process used French maroquinerie leathercraft methodology.

Israel’s Neolithics (see previously) has launched Neolithics Light. The portable, AI-powered, platform uses hyperspectral optics to automatically inspect fruits and vegetables for ripeness, nutrition levels, sweetness, and other indicators to eliminate waste.