Forbes recently named its picks for the top-10 health companies. Five of them – from a start-up that enables doctors to provide patients with personalized instructions via easy-to-understand videos to a robotic exoskeleton that teaches people with spinal-cord injuries to walk – are Israeli.
“It’s amazing that Israel – a country of only 8 million people – produces so many leading health technology companies,” David E. Williams, president of the the U.S.-based Health Business Group, told ‘From the Grapevine.’
“Israel’s highly educated technical and medical workers are reared in a society that prizes problem solving and innovation and that places tremendous value on curing illness and saving lives,” Williams added. “These conditions have generated a virtuous cycle that draws venture capital and contributes to a rich ecosystem that speeds innovation, lowers costs, and increases the likelihood for companies to succeed.”
One of the innovative companies on Forbes’ list is ReWalk, a wearable exoskeleton that helps those with spinal cord injuries to walk using powered hip and knee motion. It was designed by Israeli entrepreneur Amit Goffer, who himself had suffered an injury that left him in a wheelchair for life. The ReWalk system was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this summer.
“This revolutionary product will have an immediate, life-changing impact on individuals with spinal cord injuries,” said Larry Jasinski, CEO of ReWalk Robotics in a recent press release.
See the incredible technology in action here.