The logo for TIME Magazine. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

i24News – Four Israeli tech companies were named in TIME Magazine’s annual list of ‘The Best 100 Inventions of 2021″ released this week.

The “groundbreaking inventions” included COVID-19 and malaria vaccines, a toy robot to support hospitalized children, and other “inventions that are making the world better, smarter and a bit more fun,” TIMES said.

To assemble the list, the publication gathered nominations from its editors and correspondents around the world through an online application process.

Here are the 100 best inventions of 2021 making the world better, smarter and a little more fun https://t.co/vpIc8bQnCq

— TIME (@TIME) November 10, 2021

Each contender was then evaluated based on “a number of key factors, including originality, creativity, efficacy, ambition and impact.”

The resulting docket highlights creations that are “changing how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible,” TIME said.

Among the list – which showcased products within the fields of artificial intelligence, connectivity, medical care, social good, sustainability and more – sits four Israeli-developed technologies.

Percepto, an industrial automation company based in Modi’in of central Israel, was listed under the artificial intelligence category for its software AIM, which enables drones and robots to automate inspections, emergency responses and solutions.

Health and assistive technology company OrCam was listed in the accessibility category for its OrCam Read device, a digital handheld reader that helps blind and visually impaired people read by turning text into audio.

Reading can be a serious challenge for tens of millions of people, whether they struggle with comprehension difficulties, poor vision, dyslexia, or other issues. But using computer vision and AI, the OrCam Read can read any piece of text aloud https://t.co/XAExEPI1gw

— TIME (@TIME) November 10, 2021

SupPlant, an agricultural firm based in Afula of northern Israel, made the list under the sustainability category for its AI-enabled sensor “that informs farmers exactly when and how much to water.”

The fourth Israeli company to make the list was ElectReon for their “wireless in-road charging” technology under the transportation category.

Last year, the list featured six Israeli inventions.