Israel is well known as a country that innovates, and despite the coronavirus pandemic, the past year has been no exception. Recently, six Israeli inventions were featured in TIME magazine’s list of “Best Inventions of 2020: 100 Innovations Changing How We Live”. In particular, the inventions were credited with “making the world better, smarter and even a bit more fun”.
The magazine’s global editors and correspondents were able to submit nominations, and these were then judged according to originality, creativity, effectiveness, ambition and impact.
The company Augmedics, which has its headquarters in Chicago but carries out research and development in Yokneam Illit, was featured on the list for its product Xvision. The Xvision is a headset that uses augmented reality to create a 3D visualisation from a patient’s CT scan. Spinal surgeons can then use the visualisation to help them during operations. It is the first augmented reality navigation technology to be used in surgery and it gives surgeons better control, which will hopefully results in easier, faster and safer surgeries.
The company Beewise, based in Beit HaEmek, also made the list thanks to its creation Beehome. Beehome is a beehive that uses artificial intelligence to monitor the bees and automatically respond to dangers such as a change in temperature or parasites. The hive has been shown to double pollination capacity and honey production while also decreasing the mortality rate of the colony.
As the world continues to battle climate change, electric cars are becoming an ever more popular option. City Transformer have produced a two-seater folding electric car. The vehicle is still in the prototype stage, but it was selected for the list thanks to its ability to retract its wheels, effectively making the car narrower and allowing it to squeeze through gaps. Fully retracted the car is just one metre wide, but it is still able to travel at speeds of up to 45 kilometres per hour.
It is not just hi-tech creations that made the list. The food company DouxMatok, based in Petah Tikva, were recognised for Incredo Sugar. It is a newly engineered form of sugar that will allow food producers to reduce the sugar content by between 30% and 50%, but without sacrificing on the level of sweetness. The product itself is 99.9% sugar with a small amount of silica added to each crystal, which boosts the sweet sensation on the taste buds. The product is already in use in Israel and there are plans for it to launch in the US and the UK.
Car safety is a concern for all and Carfoldio have created the Mifold Hifold Fit-and-Fold Highback Booster Seat to tackle this issue. It is a car booster seat designed for children between 33 and 100 pounds and between 36 and 59 inches tall. In addition to increasing car safety, the seat is also incredibly compact, and it collapses to roughly the size of a backpack when not in use.
The final company on the list was TrialJectory, who were featured for “a service that uses AI to read through thousands of clinical trials and extract information about the sort of patients the researchers are looking for. Its algorithm then matches users with the clinical trials.” The technology is mainly focused on experimental cancer treatments, and it will hopefully lead to exciting new developments for sufferers.
