Whether it is Mobileye’s driver-less car technologies, or the smart garden system from GreenIQ, the Israeli companies showcasing this week at CES 2016 are wowing the crowds with their cool products, apps and gadgets.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas this week is showcasing 3,600 exhibiting companies, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology systems, including a delegation of Israeli high-tech companies.
This year’s show is expected to draw more than 150,000 attendees from 150 countries, according to the Consumer Technology Association, which has hosted CES – the biggest tradeshow of its kind – over the past 40 years.
CES has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies, and is considered the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. This much-hyped conference is produced by CTA, a trade association that represents the $285 billion US consumer technology industry.
Some of the world’s largest companies are showcasing several new technologies developed in Israel at
CES 2016. Those include Intel’s RealSense, an Israeli-developed 3D vision technology that enables robots and drones to ‘see’ with depth perception, among other Intel technologies. Another talked-about Israeli company at the show is car tech maverick
Mobileye, whose founder Prof. Amnon Shashua was one of the keynote speakers at CES on Wednesday. Mobileye is showcasing its advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving capabilities.
Overall, Israel has 500 consumer electronics and digital media companies whose offerings span a range of innovative solutions. They are active in the mobile device industry, smart home and smart TV, video and gaming, wearables, automotive, Internet of Things (IoT), and many other arenas.
So, take a look at some of the coolest Israeli technologies at the conference:
BreezoMeter
Israeli app BreezoMeter tracks pollutants and can determine air quality in nearly every corner of the world. “Air pollution is a global problem that killed 8 million people around the world and 2,500 in Israel alone last year,” BreezoMeter’s co-founder and CMO Ziv Lautman recently told NoCamels.
BreezoMeter collects pollution data from sensors located all over the world, and analyzes it to provide you with live, location-specific air quality updates, which the startup claims are 99 percent accurate.
The company, founded in 2014 by Lautman, Emil Fisher and Ran Korber, has so far raised $1.8 million in private financing rounds. Its app is available for Android and iPhone users.
GreenIQ
Israeli startup
GreenIQ offers a smart garden system, which controls irrigation based on current weather and forecasts, saving up to 50 percent on the outdoor water consumption. It connects to soil moisture sensors, weather stations and flow meters. The company claims it has saved more than 8 million gallons of water since its inception in 2013.
Founded by CEO Odi Dahan, the company has so far raised $2.2 million in two private financing rounds.
ICETRON
ICETRON is an Israeli wearable technology startup that provides a personal thermostat to reduce the body temperature during or after activity. During exercise, the internal body temperature rises to 40°C, and 75 percent of our energy is wasted on heat. Research shows that high internal heat harms the body’s functioning during physical exertion, possibly causing exhaustion and nausea.
ICETRON’s small cooling/heating mobile device for sports and fitness is equipped with sensors for monitoring pulse, temperature, humidity, and more. According to the company, the device enhances performance by reducing the body temperature, improving the training level, as well as improving the recovery time after physical exertion.
How does it work? This wearable cooling system extracts heat from the body and cools the pulse point that is located on the wrist in a non-invasive way.
Lexifone
Today more than ever, businesses and individuals are seeking real-time translation services in order to communicate with partners and customers around the world. Developed in Israel by
Lexifone, an innovative mobile app now makes it possible to understand almost anyone from anywhere.
Lexifone’s in-call translator allows people from different countries to freely converse, overcoming the language barrier. With this mobile app, you simply dial the person you wish to speak to and after each person speaks once, an automated translator will translate every part of your conversation.
UPRIGHT
Poor posture has become an epidemic, leading to widespread backache and other ailments. The UPRIGHT Trainer, developed in Israel, is a discrete wearable device that attaches to your lower back and trains you to stand and sit upright. Every time you slouch, it gently vibrates, reminding you to correct your posture.
Founded in 2012 by Oded Cohen and Ori Fruhauf,
Upright Technologies claims that by training 15 minutes a day with UPRIGHT, you can correct your posture. And of course it comes with an app, tracking your progress and offering customizable training programs.
Additional Israeli companies showcasing their gadgets and products at CES this year include some of
last year’s exhibitors:
MUV Interactive‘s Bird, which transforms any surface into a touchscreen through its wearable fingertip sensor;
Sensibo’s system that turns every ‘dumb’ air conditioner into a smart air conditioner; and
HumanEyes, a panoramic video camera that can record 3D movies of 360 degrees by means of several video cameras whose output is combined into one video.
With this wide range of cool consumer electronics, it’s no wonder that Israeli technology shines in Las Vegas!
Photos and videos: Courtesy of the companies