Dr.Thomas (Special Correspondent)
Israel has established itself as a global leader in technology and innovation.The country is second only to the United States in terms of venture capital funds and has more high-tech startups per capita than any other country.
Considering that the state is just 70 years old and has a population of 8.9 million, this is an outstanding achievement.
The “start-up nation2” has only been around for a short amount of time,but already it has produced hundreds of technological innovations,from USB drives and smart thermostats to instantaneous medical diagnosis and other cutting-edge medical equipment.
What did Israel create?
Israel is already well-established as a leading center for technological innovation.In just more than 70 years,it went from being a country known for its startups to a world power in technology.
Israel has achieved major strides in the fields of agriculture,medicine,and digital technology during the last few decades,from which we have all benefited.
1. PillCam: Given Imaging:
Yokneam,Israel-based Given Imaging was founded by Dr.Gavriel Meron in 1998; the company is responsible for creating the PillCam,a small camera in a pill used to identify and view gastrointestinal diseases.
When it comes to intestinal imaging,the PillCam is now widely accepted as the industry standard.
2. ExAblate: InSightec;
TIME’s MR Guided Focused Ultrasound,developed by InSightec and authorized by the FDA,was named one of the year’s greatest 50 innovations in December of 2017.
ExAblate is a non-invasive,focused ultrasonic surgical device guided by magnetic resonance imaging that thermally ablates,or eliminates, tumors inside the body.
The Haifa firm that created this technique has been around for 13 years.There are numerous diseases that now have no therapy,but this technology has the potential to change that.
The Haifa business,which has been around for 13 years,has created a cutting-edge device called ExAblate, which is a magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgical system that thermally ablates,or eliminates, malignancies within the body.
There are numerous diseases that now have no therapy, but this technology has the potential to change that.
3. Copaxone: Teva Pharmaceuticals
Since its discovery by a physician at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot,the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) has become the most widely prescribed medication of its kind worldwide.
Teva Pharmaceuticals of Petah Tikvah,Israel, marketed the medicine after it was granted FDA clearance in 1996.
As the largest generic pharmaceutical company, Teva is not only one of the top 15 pharmaceutical firms in the world but also the largest employer in the world, with over 46,000 people.
4. Sambucol
Sambucol,an elderberry extract developed by Israeli virologist Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu,is often used as a first line of defense against the flu.
In traditional medicine,elderberries have been employed for quite some time.After extensive research,Mumcuoglu isolated the active component, and the resulting natural mixture is now one of the most widely used homeopathic remedies for the flu.
Sambucol has been shown to be efficient against human, pig, and avian influenza viruses in laboratory experiments.
The United States,Europe,and Asia all contribute to its distribution network.
5. A ReWalk Exoskeleton by Argo Medical Technologies
The moment paraplegic Artie Abrams stood and walked for the first time on the hit TV show Glee will live in indelible memory for generations.
The miraculous recovery from a wheelchair was made possible by a real device,the ReWalk robotic exoskeleton created by Argo Medical Technologies of Yokneam.
Dr. Amit Goffer,an Israeli electrical engineer who became a quadriplegic in an accident,developed the ReWalk gadget to let paraplegics walk and climb stairs independently for up to 12 hours a day.
The ReWalk consists of leg braces with motorized joints and a backpack battery system.
6.WatchPAT 200: Itamar Medical
Itamar Medical, located in Herzliya, Israel, has created a wearable sleep lab the size of a wristwatch and a finger that can detect and pinpoint the cause of sleep disturbances.
The prestigious Cleveland Clinic recognized WatchPAT as one of the top 10 medical inventions of 2010 for its ability to diagnose patients at home, in the comfort of their own beds,rather than at hospital sleep clinics.
Numerous workplace and vehicular mishaps, in addition to sexual dysfunction and melancholy, have been linked by specialists to poor sleep quality.
7. Medical Devices from TransPharma
Picture a vaccine or medicine that is typically injected being given intravenously without any of the associated discomfort.
It took the Lod-based company TransPharma Medical over ten years to perfect.ViaDerm’s painless applicator is equipped with precisely metered medication patches,guaranteeing accurate dosing every time.
The drug is absorbed by the body through the skin thanks to the battery-operated applicator.
Clinical trials of ViaDerm,developed in collaboration with major pharmaceutical companies,are currently underway in a number of countries,with the hope that it will provide a welcome alternative to the current standard of care for patients who require daily medication to treat conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis.
8. EndoPAT: Itamar Medical
EndoPAT was developed by Itamar Medical, and it is a “heart smart” gadget that measures cardiac health with a fingertip test and may even forecast if the patient will have a heart attack within the next seven years.
The highly regarded Mayo Clinic has given its stamp of approval to this gadget, which consists of two tiny probes that attach to the index fingers.
9. Brainsway
To alleviate addiction,melancholy,autism,and other brain illnesses including Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia,Brainsway,located in Jerusalem, created a new painless,non-invasive deep electromagnetic stimulation device for the brain.
For this 15-minute therapy, patients wear helmets equipped with coils that direct electromagnetic radiation at specific regions of the brain.
All around Europe,North America,and Israel,trials are progressing smoothly.
10. Proneuron Biotechnologies
Prof. Michal Schwartz of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot has won several awards for his groundbreaking research into treating acute spinal cord injuries.
Christopher Reeve has hailed Israel as the global hub for research on paralysis therapy after visiting Proneuron Biotechnologies,an Israeli biotech business set up to commercialize these technologies.
In 2007,with funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Proneuron started working on a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
11. Babysense
Babysense is an anti-crib-death technology that doesn’t involve any touching or radiation. It was first commercialized in 1992,and was created by the Israeli firm HiSense to track a baby’s respiration and movement via the mattress.
In the event that breathing stops for more than 20 seconds or slows to fewer than 10 breaths per minute,an audible and visual alert will be triggered. Its distribution reaches as far as the Americas and Asia.
12. Deep Breeze
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disorder that affects almost 200 million individuals worldwide.
Deep Breeze,situated in Or Akiva,has created cutting-edge medical equipment that enables remote monitoring of COPD patients at home.
Patients with asthma,congestive heart failure, and other lung disorders can be imaged,diagnosed,and monitored.
This is Deep Breeze version 2,the hospital-based vibration-response imaging technique that was first authorized by the FDA in 2007 and is now widely used across the world.
13.Emergency Bandage: First Care Products
Israeli military physician Bernard Bar-Natan saw that bandages hadn’t changed in decades,so he created the Emergency Bandage.
It’s used to staunch the flow of blood from severe injuries sustained in the field and may be administered with just one hand.
First used to save lives during a NATO peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, this product from First Care Products in Lod is now used by the armed forces and special forces of the United States, Australia,and New Zealand, among others.
It has been claimed that US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, along with others wounded in the Tucson shooting in January 2011,were saved by the Emergency Bandage.
14. Superbug Detective Kit
Prof. Nathan Citri,a 91-year-old professor at Hebrew University, has developed a novel,easy-to-use diagnostic test for antibiotic-resistant superbugs that can detect the type of bug in minutes instead of the current five days.
Citri’s medical kit puts Israel well ahead of the worldwide fight against these hazardous new germs. Superbugs are now one of the top killers in hospitals across the United States and Europe. BioConnections,a British firm,is already commercializing the kit.
15. LiteTouch: Syneron Dental Lasers
About 12% of dentists across the world are already using lasers instead of the painful drill to reshape patients’ teeth and gums.
However,it is difficult to accurately focus the laser beam because of the bulk and awkwardness of the strung optic fibers that carry it.
The LiteTouch dental laser,developed by Syneron Dental Lasers of Yokneam,Israel,eliminates the need for conventional cables and connections.
The product has been on the market since 2007, and it has had a lot of success in the Asian and European markets.
16.Cupron
Copper oxide in fabrics is used by the Israeli company Cupron to create a wide variety of useful items,such as an antimicrobial mask and latex gloves to protect against flu germs and bacteria, socks that don’t get smelly even when not washed, and pillowcases that help reduce wrinkles while you sleep.
Cupron’s CEO and co-founder Jeff Gabbai refers to their product as “the cloth that fights back”since it kills germs such as bacteria,fungus,and viruses upon contact.
17. Disk-on-Key
M-Systems, a firm established by three Israelis, is responsible for the creation of the Disk-on-Key.The introduction of the data storage device occurred in September of 2000,and since then, it has become nearly as commonplace as the paper clip.
When it was released,PC World ranked it as one of the best 10 gadgets of the previous 50 years.
The American company SanDisk paid $1.6 billion to acquire M-Systems in 2006.
18. Operating Systems Windows NT and XP
The majority of work on Microsoft’s NT and XP operating systems was done in Israel.With a long history in the country,Microsoft now employs 600 Israelis at its two research and development sites in Herzliya.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer noted in 2008 that Israel has been an important partner in the company’s development.
Microsoft Israel revealed in December that 13 new products are being developed at its headquarters, and the company announced in March that it will be opening its first startup incubator in Israel.
19. Check Point Software Technologies
Twenty-five-year-old Gil Shwed and his two roommates in a Ramat Gan apartment started Check Point Software Technologies in 1993.
They developed the commercial firewall that now shields PCs throughout the world from online threats.
The firm has grown to become a global leader in IT security,servicing over 100,000 clients with the help of 2,300 workers.
20. ICQ
Everyone in Israel knows the backstory surrounding ICQ, the instant messaging service created by a group of five young Israeli nerds.
The entrepreneurs,who included Internet pioneer Yossi Vardi’s son,gave out the first version of their software in 1996.
There was a worldwide upheaval when the first Internet-wide instant messaging service was released.
AOL paid $407 million to purchase the firm two years later. Until then, it had been the most money ever spent on acquiring an Israeli IT firm.
After some time, in April of 2010, AOL sold ICQ to Digital Sky Technologies for $187.5 million.
21.SandyBridge and Centrino processors: Intel
Intel,a manufacturer of semiconductors, was one of the earliest global corporations to establish a presence in the Israeli market.
In 1974,Intel opened its first international design facility outside of the USA in Haifa.
Intel Israel is home to 7,800 individuals and serves as the company’s global research and development hub for wireless technologies.
Millions of laptops throughout the world owe their processing power to designs created at this facility, including the 8088,Centrino, and SandyBridge processors.
Maxine Fassberg, general manager of Intel Israel, stated in March that the SandyBridge CPU is responsible for 40 percent of Intel’s sales.Exports from Intel Israel hit $2.2 billion in 2011.
22. Mobile phones: Motorola
If it weren’t for Israeli expertise in mobile technology, mobile phones today would still appear like huge bricks.Israeli engineers pioneered mobile phone technology at Motorola’s Israel R&D unit.
Your smartphone owes much to Israeli innovation in technology.Whether it’s a new keyboard solution or a tool to protect your mobile identity, Israeli innovation ensures that your phone doesn’t become any bigger while still being cutting edge.
23. Oracle Israel and the Amazon Kindle
The bestselling Kindle from Amazon uses a Java platform created in Israel.Amazon reached out to Sun,which was eventually bought by Oracle, almost four years ago to have a specialized platform built for the software in an upcoming e-book reader device.
Sun transferred responsibility for the project to its research and development facility in Herzliya, Israel.
After several years of development, a prototype was completed that met Amazon’s standards,and production commenced.When it comes to e-readers,Amazon is currently the clear market leader.
24. Printing press: HP Indigo
By releasing the E-Print 1000 in 1993,Israeli inventor Benny Landa of the Rehovot-based business Indigo shook up the digital printing industry.
It marked a watershed moment in printing history, making it possible for printers to print from digital files.
In 2001,Hewlett-Packard (HP) paid $650 million to purchase Indigo.HP Indigo has now surpassed all other digital commercial presses and is the market leader in the United States.
With over 500 patents to his name, Landa is set to reveal his next innovation,nanography digital printing, in May.
25. 3D sensing technology: PrimeSense
PrimeSense completely rethought how we interact with digital gadgets by enabling them to “see” in three dimensions and shifting control away from traditional input methods like buttons and joysticks.
Tel Aviv’s 7-year-old firm now produces the central component of Microsoft’s Xbox and Kinect gaming systems, making it the foremost business provider of low-cost, high-performance 3D machine vision technology for the consumer market.
26. Anobit
The Israeli company Anobit, which specializes in flash memory, has created a semiconductor that greatly enhances the reliability,speed,and affordability of flash storage devices and infrastructure.
There are now various Samsung products including Apple’s iPhone, iPad,and MacBook Air that use the processors.
Apple reportedly paid $390 million in January of this year to acquire the six-year-old Herzliya firm that holds a portfolio of 65 patents.
27. Answers.com
Answers.com is one of the greatest places to go to have your questions answered in this day and age.
The firm,with offices in Jerusalem and New York City, was established by Bob Rosenschein in 1999. There are currently more than 50 million monthly unique visitors from the United States alone, and 75 million from across the world, making it one of the top 30 websites in the world.
Summit Partners,an equity investor, has paid $127m to acquire the NASDAQ-traded firm that combines WikiAnswers and ReferenceAnswers.
28. Waze
Israeli firm Waze created a smartphone software that uses crowdsourced GPS data to pinpoint where traffic is moving quickly or slowly.Waze considers the vehicle stationary if the GPS signal isn’t moving.
Waze,which was established in 2008, is widely used in major cities across the United States, including New York,Chicago,Los Angeles,San Francisco,Dallas,and Washington,1DC; Israel; Italy; France; Sweden; Costa Rica; Colombia; Panama; Venezuela; and Mexico.
Last July,when Los Angeles’s busiest route was blocked,ABC-TV viewers were able to utilize Waze to avoid the gridlock.
The network is expanding the program to more locations in the United States.
29.Babylon
Even though we live in a globalized society, we still do not share a common language.When it comes to internet translation,Babylon.com has taken center stage.
The firm, which has been serving the internet community since 1997,sells dictionaries, translators,language courses,and tools to improve English writing.
The software is used in over 100 million desktop installations throughout around 231 nations and can be accessed in 75 different tongues.On a daily basis, the site attracts 40 million unique users.
30. Shaker
Awarded for its innovative features, Shaker is a sophisticated online bar that transcends the limitations of social networking sites like Facebook.
Facebook’s app simulates offline social interactions by bringing people together through common connections and interests.
More than $17 million in funding has been raised by the company in the past six months from investors like Motorola Mobility Ventures,Michael Arrington’s CrunchFund, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, and Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter.
The company was founded by five students from the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center (IDC).
It was at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in September of last year when the firm took home the coveted Startup Battlefield trophy.
The startup partnered with the NBA in February to provide a virtual arena for NBA fans to gather.
Conclusion
Nearly all of Israel’s terrain was desert when it was created 64 year ago,and the country had few natural resources.
The fledging nations only advantage was the ingenuity of its citizens.
After more than 60 years of effort, Israel is now a technological paradise.Israel is one of the major actors in the world of high tech innovation, drawing international giants due to its high rate of startups per capita and third highest patents per head.