6 Israeli Inventions on TIME's Top 100 List

Israel is one of the tech capitals of the world, so it’s no surprise that it’s home to inventors and scientists who are changing the world.

TIME’s list of “Best Inventions of 2020,” released this week, includes 100 innovations that are changing how we live. The magazine’s editors explain that they accepted nominations from their editors and the general public, then “evaluated each contender on key factors, including originality, creativity, effectiveness, ambition and impact.”

And as Israel21c has pointed out, six of those inventions came out of Israel. Here, we break down those six inventions and how they’re making the world a better place.

1. A User-Friendly Guide to Cancer Treatment Options

TrialJectory helps cancer patients find relevant and personalized clinical trials, combing through thousands of options to find their perfect matches. The company, which has an office in Tel Aviv, explains, “You’ll see how many received the same treatment, the outcome, what other treatments they received, and which advanced treatments they were matched to.”

2. Electric Foldable Cars

This super-tiny vehicle can retract its wheels to better fit in tiny parking spots and down narrow roads, making it easier than ever to navigate busy city streets. The company says of itself: “Vehicles for cities. Vehicles for people who just want to get from a-to-b.” Vehicles from the Tel Avi-based City Transformer are in the test phase and expected to roll out to Israeli streets in 2022.

3. AR-Guided Surgery

In the category of augmented and virtual reality is Augmedics xvision’s augmented-reality-guided surgery, which TIME reports was born of the CEO’s question Wouldn’t it be cool if surgeons had X-ray vision? The xvision headset allows surgeons to view patients’ catscans in 3-D for a closer, more precise look. The company is based in Chicago, which its research and development office in Yokne’am Illit.  

4. A Healthier Sugar Substitute

Israeli food-tech company DouxMatok has created IncredoSugar, has a sugar content 30 to 50 percent less than regular sugar – but retains the same level of sweetness. The company, based in Petah Tikvah, promises that unlike other sweeteners, their product has no aftertaste and has the same mouthfeel as real sugar.

5. A Collapsible Booster Seat

John Sumroy, head of the Israeli-founded Mifold, says, “The single largest killer of American children is car crashes. This is a public-health emergency.” His company created the Hifold ($160), a high-backed booster seat that collapses into the size of a standard backpack, making it easy for parents to bring along – and keep their kids safe – in taxis and ride shares.

6. Autonomous Beehives

Based in Beit HaEmek, Beewise is an AI-powered autonomous beehive that uses precision robotics, computer vision, and AI to monitor bees 24/7 and responds to concerns in real-time by, say, applying pesticides and otherwise alerting beekeepers to issues. The result is thriving colonies that beat the 40 percent bee mortality rate.

See the rest of TIME’s 100 best inventions of 2020 and read about six Israeli tech innovations that are improving accessibility for people with disabilities.