Gauzy technology in a Mercedes (Photo: Gauzy PR) Check out the top 10 high-tech stories coming straight from the Startup Nation:
Israeli Tech Helps ‘Jungle Book’ Snatch Visual Effects Oscar
The live action remake of “The Jungle Book” became a huge success at the box office, relied on computer generated imagery, known as CGI, to recreate the tale of Mowgli, the orphaned human boy who is raised by animals.
It also used Mellanox Technologies, an Israeli supplier of data center server and storage system solutions, which offers the bandwidth necessary to stream and distribute films like “The Jungle Book” and previous blockbusters, such as “The Martian,” “Gone Girl,” “X-Men,” “Godzilla” and other films that grow in complexity and pixel density each year.
Can Startup Nation Be an Incubator for Palestinian High-Tech Entrepreneurs?
Palestinian universities produce around 2,000 IT graduates annually, according to a 2014 Paltrade report. But there are not enough jobs for them in the West Bank, nor according to the report, are these graduates “adequately skilled” to work in the local Palestinian IT market. The result is that most grads need look for jobs in the Gulf. And competition there is fierce.
Fast-forward four years and Taha has sold his shares in a tech startup he cofounded and is now busy putting together the first-ever Palestinian tech park, which he hopes to transform into a Silicon Valley of the West Bank.
Waze to Prevent Wildlife from Becoming Roadkill
In honor of UN World Wildlife Day on March 3, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and Waze officially launched a new venture aimed at reducing the number of wild animals that are run over on Israel’s roads annually, a statistic that has climbed into the thousands in recent years.
Judge Orders Haifa Chemicals to Close Ammonia Tank
Judge Tamar Sharon Netanel that the order to empty the tank will be delayed until April 1, when the company will be legally required to empty the tank. The judgment also imposed a ban on refilling the tank and bringing shipments of ammonia into the Haifa Bay.
After Loss of Satellite in SpaceX Blast, Israeli Company Brings in Replacement
Israeli satellite operator Spacecom announced Monday that its newly-christened Amos-7 satellite had begun operations in orbit over the earth.
Amos-7 is not a new satellite, but rather a repurposed AsiaSat-8 which Spacecom has rented as it rushes to deal with the loss of Amos-6 — the $300 million piece of technology that was destroyed in a September explosion on a SpaceX launchpad.
13 Israeli Lighting Design Studios Illuminating the World
Israeli lighting designers take quite literally Israel’s destiny to be “a light unto the nations.”
For a small country, Israel has a surprising number of lighting designers winning international customers for everything from industrial, architectural and smart-city lighting solutions to funky one-off fixtures handmade in small studios.
Israeli Medical Innovations to be Presented
A diaper informing parents when it is time to change it is just one of the Israeli gadgets that will be presented in next week’s international conference for medical devices titled MEDinISRAEL, which plays both on the word “medical” and the Israeli pronunciation of “Made in Israel.”
The conference is helmed by the Export Institute in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Industry as well the Foreign Affairs and Health Ministries, and guests from all over the world are expected to attend.
Mercedes Incorporates Israeli Technology into Its Future Car
An Israeli start-up, Gauzy, recently announced that its cutting edge technology has been incorporated into a new Mercedes Benz car of the future, which will enable its car window to display an array of multimedia displays.
The company’s Liquid Crystal Glass innovation not only allows car windows to switch from opaque to transparent on demand, buts it multi-faceted functionality has essentially reinvented the ways in which users are now able to interact with what people once thought had reached its technological zenith with the advent of tinted glass.
Investors Best on Windfall Gains for Israeli Tech, Defense Under Trump
Investors are betting heavily that Israeli defense and cyber-security firms will reap a windfall from President Donald Trump’s big US spending plans, although likely benefits for the wider economy remain like the man himself – hard to predict.
Israeli technology companies are likewise well placed to pick up contracts on other planned presidential projects, such as a hugely expensive wall along the US border with Mexico.
Up to 1,000 Engineers in Israel Said Developing Augmented Reality for Apple
Apple may be developing augmented reality technology for its next iPhone iteration in Israel, according to a research note from financial services company UBS seen by Business Insider.
“According to some industry sources, the company may have over 1,000 engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related to AR,” the note reportedly said.
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