Author: Techtime

The AI Marketing Paradox: How Cutting-Edge Tech is Taking Us Back to the Stone Age

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By Leehee Gerti, VP Marketing at CodeValue

While we marvel at the rapid evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs), we often overlook a fascinating constant: the “human machine” remains virtually unchanged. The biological hardware we use to process information is essentially the same version released tens of thousands of years ago.

This paradox is now redefining the world of marketing. As we race toward the future, we are actually circling back to our most primitive roots: the story told around the campfire.

The Death of the Click

For decades, the holy grail of digital marketing was the “Number One Spot” on Google. We optimized, we backlinked, and we fought for every pixel of search engine real estate. But in the last few months, that world has shifted beneath our feet.

The era of the “Zero-Click Search” is here. Today, roughly 84% of search queries are influenced by AI Overviews. When an AI-generated answer appears at the top of the screen, the Click-Through Rate (CTR) for organic results plummets by about 48%. Users no longer need to visit your website; they get the answer directly from the interface.

The traditional SEO model is dying a swift death. The question is no longer “Who ranks first?” but rather “Who does the AI trust enough to cite?”

Becoming the AI’s Primary Source

In this new landscape, we aren’t just promoting websites; we are feeding the “Collective Intelligence.” To succeed, we must transition from site-builders to authoritative knowledge sources.

AI engines don’t just look for keywords; they look for signals of authority and trust. Google’s core updates over the last two years, specifically the June “Better surface relevant, satisfying content” update, have made one thing clear: generic, thin, or AI-generated “filler” content will be penalized.

Instead, the algorithms are hungry for EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. We have returned to a logic as old as time: History is written by the victors, and in 2026, the victors are those whose content the AI deems credible enough to learn from.

High-Tech, Low-Logic: The Campfire Methodology

To resonate with both the AI and the human behind the screen, our content must feel original, natural, and logical – much like a story a parent reads to a child.

The AI looks for the human touch. It seeks out the expertise of real people within your organization. It looks for a holistic story, not isolated units of information, but a narrative where every “chapter” (or page) connects to a larger, authoritative whole.

The more advanced our innovation becomes, the more we are forced to return to the basics of human communication:

  1. Originality: If the AI can find it elsewhere, you are redundant.
  2. User Experience: If a human can’t navigate it easily, the AI won’t trust it.
  3. Human Expertise: Real-world experience is the only thing AI cannot simulate (yet).

Practical Tips for the Zero-Click Era

If you want to survive the marketing shift, you must understand who controls the knowledge:

  • Want to appear in ChatGPT? Remember it relies heavily on Bing’s index. Your presence in Microsoft-friendly ecosystems matters.
  • Want to dominate Gemini? You need a powerhouse presence on YouTube. Google’s AI prioritizes its own massive video repository to verify “human” expertise.
  • The LLM Training Ground: Understand that if you are the source the model “learns” from, you are the source it will cite.

Final Thought

We used to talk to algorithms; now we talk to “entities” that think like humans. By focusing on authentic, expert-led content, we aren’t just “hacking” the system, we are honoring the ancient human need for a reliable story.

The future of marketing isn’t found in a line of code. It’s found in the same place it was 30,000 years ago: in the power of a trusted voice.

 

MS Tech Develops Biological Sensor for On-Site Monitoring of Soil Contamination

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By Yohai Schwiger

Herzliya-based MS Tech has been awarded a research and development grant of approximately $1.7 million from the Israel Innovation Authority to develop a new generation of bio-sensors designed for real-time monitoring and diagnosis of soil and groundwater contaminants. The grant was awarded as part of the national “Green Soil” consortium, established in 2025 and led by Elbit Systems, which brings together 16 industrial companies and academic institutions to develop and implement advanced biological technologies for the treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater.

The goal of the project is to create a solution capable of mapping areas affected by pollutants such as fuels, industrial chemicals, PFAS contaminants (persistent chemicals that are difficult to break down), and explosive residues. Today, contamination assessment relies almost entirely on expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests that require the collection and shipment of numerous samples to specialized facilities. This process often leads to lengthy projects, high costs, and delays of months or even years in the development of new urban areas.

“There is a real technological gap today,” says Doron Shalom, CEO of MS Tech, in an interview with Techtime. “There are very few systems that can analyze soil directly in the field. Everything is based on laboratory work, which is cumbersome and expensive. The ability to conduct on-site testing in real time is a revolution that will change the way contaminated soils are handled.”

The new sensors being developed by MS Tech are designed to do exactly that—enable rapid identification of contaminants within seconds, without the need for heavy laboratory equipment. The global market for soil monitoring and remediation is considered one of the fastest-growing segments in the environmental sector and is estimated at tens of billions of dollars annually, with major activity centers in the United States, Europe, China, and Canada. Hundreds of thousands of former industrial sites and decommissioned military bases require precise mapping before they can be cleared for redevelopment, driving growing demand for fast and cost-effective solutions. In Israel alone, the market is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Sensor Sensitivity Depends on the Coating

To understand the significance of the new project, it is necessary to examine the core technology behind MS Tech. Unlike traditional “chemical sensors”—which are based on analytical chemistry, electro-chemical reactions, or ionizing radiation and typically require bulky laboratory equipment, reagents, and lengthy testing processes—MS Tech has developed an advanced physical sensing platform built on quartz crystals. These crystals offer exceptional frequency stability and high sensitivity to minute changes in mass. After precise processing and calibration, they vibrate at highly accurate frequencies. When molecules of a specific substance bind to the surface of the crystal, they cause a tiny but measurable shift in vibration frequency—a change that can be detected in real time with high precision.

The company coats the crystals with specialized layers of polymers, antigens, and other molecular materials that function as selective chemical “filters.” Each coating reacts to a different type of molecule, effectively turning the crystal into a sensor tailored to identify a specific substance. By combining several differently coated crystals in a single system, MS Tech can detect a broad range of contaminants, distinguish between them, and deliver near-instant results—without complex chemical processes and without the need for laboratory infrastructure.

MS Tech was founded in 1998 by veterans of Israel’s defense industries and initially focused on developing sensors for detecting explosives for the Israeli defense establishment and the U.S. Pentagon. At the time, most detection systems relied on heavy analytical chemistry and ionizing radiation. The company chose a different path—developing miniature nano-sensors and bio-sensors based on physical sensing principles.

“For years, most technologies in this field were based on analytical chemistry and ionizing radiation,” says Shalom. “Those methods cannot compete with the world of nano-technology and bio-sensors that can be miniaturized and used in the field—that’s where our advantage lies. Our sensors are built on natural quartz crystals that deliver high sensitivity and fast response times, and we apply selective coatings of various types. Each coating turns the crystal into a dedicated sensor by defining its frequency and sensitivity. Over the years, we expanded into additional fields and became a national knowledge center in bio-sensing.”

Security Screening at Airports in India

Alongside its activity in homeland security and defense, MS Tech operates in medical diagnostics, food safety, and environmental monitoring, and its products are used in more than 72 countries. One of its major growth engines in recent years has been the security screening market for airports, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The company recently announced significant contracts for deploying advanced detection systems at several airports in India—a market that has become a central focus of its operations.

“We are very strong in the security sector, especially in baggage screening at airports,” says Shalom. “Our main growth wave right now is in the Far East, and particularly in India. At the same time, we are entering new application areas such as drones, humanoid robots, and even mobile devices that in the future will be able to perform chemical sensing tests.”

According to Shalom, the move into contaminated soil monitoring is a natural extension of the company’s core capabilities. “Our technology is dual-use—it fits both security and civilian applications. The contaminated soil market is worth billions of dollars. When you know in real time what the contamination profile of a site is, you can make the right decisions about remediation and development. That saves time and money.”

The project under the “Green Soil” consortium marks a strategic shift for MS Tech from its traditional focus on defense toward environmental and agri-tech applications, while relying on the same technological platform it has developed over nearly three decades. If successful, it could transform soil monitoring from a lengthy laboratory process into a fast and accessible field tool—and open up a significant new global market for the company.

AIR and ST Engineering Unveil Cargo UAV for the European Market

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AIR and Singapore-based ST Engineering announced at the Singapore Airshow the launch of a new unmanned eVTOL aircraft named DrN-600, along with a strategic partnership to market the platform across Europe and Asia. The announcement represents a significant step for both companies and positions the new aircraft as a dedicated solution for cargo and aerial logistics missions in commercial markets.

The DrN-600 is an electric aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 600 kilograms, designed specifically to comply with European regulatory requirements for unmanned aviation. According to the official announcement, the platform is intended for short- to medium-range flights, reliable autonomous operations, and logistics missions in remote areas or environments with limited infrastructure. It is built on AIR’s core technological architecture and integrates advanced control systems, high operational reliability, and a configuration tailored for intensive commercial use.

A central element of the announcement is the emphasis on aligning the aircraft with the standards of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Unlike conventional cargo drones, the DrN-600 was conceived from the outset as a full-fledged aviation platform, designed to undergo formal certification processes similar to those required for manned aircraft. This entails stringent requirements in areas such as system safety, reliability, redundancy, advanced autonomous control, and comprehensive engineering documentation. This approach underscores AIR’s clear intention to deliver not merely a technology demonstrator, but an industrial-grade platform capable of legal and commercial operation in European airspace.

Europe Opens Its Skies

Compared with AIR’s previous cargo variant, which was primarily aimed at the U.S. market and limited experimental or operational deployments, the DrN-600 appears to represent a significant evolution. While the earlier model focused mainly on proving feasibility and enabling initial autonomous cargo missions, the new aircraft has been designed from the ground up to meet stricter regulatory demands and operate within a fully regulated environment. This suggests enhancements in control systems, safety levels, redundancy mechanisms, and the ability to integrate with European air traffic management systems.

The decision to focus on the European market is far from coincidental. Europe is currently regarded as one of the most advanced regions in the world in terms of regulation for unmanned aircraft and aerial logistics. Many European countries are promoting legal frameworks for the operation of drones and eVTOL platforms over populated areas, while also developing dedicated infrastructure for unmanned air traffic management. For AIR, compliance with EASA requirements opens the door to a broad market of commercial operators, logistics companies, and advanced delivery service providers.

An Israeli–Singaporean Partnership

AIR was founded in Israel in 2018 and specializes in the development of advanced electric aircraft for commercial applications. In recent years, the company has completed significant funding rounds, obtained preliminary regulatory approvals in the United States, and conducted numerous flight demonstrations. AIR operates in both the autonomous cargo sector and the development of light manned aircraft, aiming to establish itself as a key player in the emerging field of advanced air mobility.

Its Singaporean partner in the project, ST Engineering, is one of the largest engineering and technology groups in Asia and globally. The company is active in aviation, defense, electronics, and transportation, and brings extensive experience in the development and maintenance of advanced aerospace systems.

As part of the collaboration, ST Engineering will contribute industrial expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and system integration resources. It will also work to incorporate its DroNet ground control system into the new platform. The partnership with ST Engineering and the launch of the DrN-600 signal AIR’s transition from technological innovation to global commercialization. If the aircraft delivers on its regulatory and operational promises, it could become one of the first platforms to bring autonomous, electric aerial logistics to widespread commercial use in Europe.

SolarEdge Ships US.-Made Inverters to Europe

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photo above: SolarEdge’s solutions portfolio

SolarEdge has ramped up production at its three manufacturing facilities in the United States and has begun shipping U.S.-made products to Europe. This move marks the culmination of a process that has been unfolding gradually for more than a year and now appears to be complete. The company has shut down manufacturing operations in China, Mexico, and Hungary, while retaining a limited production footprint in Asia, primarily through a contract manufacturer in Vietnam.

In Israel, SolarEdge continues to operate the Sela-1 manufacturing facility, located in the Ziporit industrial zone. This site is dedicated to short production runs and manufacturing optimization, leveraging its proximity to the company’s R&D center in Israel.

The Texas facility focuses on single-phase inverter production, the Utah plant specializes in residential battery systems, and the Florida site manufactures three-phase inverters and solar panel power optimizers. The scope of this transformation was disclosed during the company’s earnings call in September 2025. The CEO, Shuki Nir, stated that SolarEdge intends to anchor the majority of its manufacturing in the United States. “We plan to manufacture in the U.S. and distribute U.S.-made products both locally and globally for many years to come.”

Today, SolarEdge employs approximately 3,400 people worldwide. While the company does not provide a geographic breakdown, it reported in June 2025 that its three U.S. manufacturing plants employ around 2,000 workers. This week, SolarEdge announced a key milestone in executing its new manufacturing strategy: the shipment of its first U.S.-made residential inverters to Europe, with initial deliveries to Italy, France, and the Netherlands. The company is now preparing for the first European shipments of its commercial and industrial systems, scheduled to leave the Florida plant in early 2026.

The Generic Solution Strategy

Alongside the reconfiguration of its global manufacturing footprint, SolarEdge is redefining its portfolio to improve marketability while streamlining manufacturing, logistics, and the supply chain. Under this new approach, the company is consolidating product lines to reduce the number of SKUs, with each SKU designed to serve multiple applications or markets. SolarEdge refers to this strategy as Single SKU—an ambition to deliver a unified model, or a very small set of models, capable of addressing a broad range of use cases and geographies, instead of maintaining a large portfolio of distinct variants. In Europe, this concept is marketed under the name MultiRange.

For example, rather than producing separate inverters for Europe and the U.S., SolarEdge aims to manufacture a single inverter platform, with market- or application-specific customization handled through software, configuration settings, or auxiliary components. The company has indicated that this approach will be implemented in upcoming products, including the SolarEdge Nexis Solution, an integrated residential system combining solar energy generation and storage.

The goal is to deliver a unified platform that supports solar production, energy storage, self-consumption, and backup power during grid outages. SolarEdge is now applying the same design philosophy to its commercial and industrial product lines, with the objective of aligning them as well with the Single SKU strategy.

Four-Minute Heart Attack Risk Assessment: AccuLine Completes Clinical Trial in Israel

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AccuLine announced on Thursday the successful completion of a multi-center clinical trial in Israel evaluating its CORA system for the early detection of coronary artery disease—the leading cause of heart attacks. According to the company, the test takes approximately four minutes, is designed to be performed in a clinic setting, and does not require catheterization, radiation, or contrast agents.

The clinical trial was conducted across seven medical centers in Israel, including Ichilov Medical Center, Poriya Medical Center, Assuta Tel Aviv, Shamir Medical Center, Wolfson Medical Center, Assuta Ashdod, and Hillel Yaffe Medical Center.

The study included 305 participants, with results benchmarked against coronary angiography, considered the gold standard for diagnosing coronary artery disease. According to the data, the CORA system achieved 94% sensitivity in identifying patients with significant coronary artery stenosis, alongside a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99% for ruling out the disease. The company notes that these results represent a substantial improvement over commonly used stress tests in community healthcare settings.

“Early and accurate diagnosis at the initial stages could save the lives of millions of people who are not diagnosed in time,” said Moshe Bar-El, AccuLine’s CEO and co-founder. “For the first time, we are providing primary care physicians with a tool that allows them, within minutes, to distinguish between patients who require further evaluation and those who are not at risk—while avoiding unnecessary and costly tests.”

No Radiation, Powered by AI

The CORA system is based on an artificial intelligence algorithm that simultaneously analyzes electrical signals from the heart, blood oxygen levels, respiratory rate, and the patient’s medical background. The output is an immediate report on the condition of the coronary arteries—without the need for invasive procedures or advanced imaging equipment.

Beyond its clinical implications, AccuLine also emphasizes the economic potential of the technology. Cardiology accounts for hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare spending annually, and a solution capable of reducing expensive diagnostic tests and complex treatments following heart attacks could have a significant impact on healthcare systems and insurance providers.

Following the successful results of the Israeli trial, AccuLine is preparing for a large-scale clinical study in the United States. The trial will take place across 20 medical centers and include approximately 2,000 patients. It will be conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and represents a key step toward FDA approval and the system’s entry into the U.S. and global markets.

AccuLine was founded in early 2022 and has raised approximately $5.5 million to date, led by eHealth Ventures with participation from Maccabi Healthcare Services. The funding includes grants from the Israel Innovation Authority and Google, as well as a strategic investment and collaboration with Mayo Clinic.

The company’s team includes CEO Moshe Bar-El, CTO Dr. Amit Raches, CBO Don Crawford, CMO Prof. Aharon Frimerman—head of the catheterization unit at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center—and CSO Prof. Shay Revzun from the University of Michigan. AccuLine currently employs seven people at its offices in Petah Tikva.

Following TI Deal, Weebit Nano Forecasts Sharp Revenue Growth in 2026

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Weebit Nano has published annual revenue guidance for the first time since becoming a public company, projecting revenues of at least A$10 million (approximately US$6.5 million) in 2026—more than double its A$4.4 million revenue in 2025. The forecast was released as part of the company’s quarterly report published over the weekend and marks a significant inflection point: a shift from a company primarily reporting technological milestones and licensing agreements to one seeking to anchor expectations around measurable revenue growth.

Weebit Nano’s shares, traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), have risen 140% over the past 12 months, giving the company a market capitalization of A$1.12 billion.

The main driver behind the forecast is the largest commercial agreement in the company’s history: the licensing of Weebit’s ReRAM technology to Texas Instruments, one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers. The agreement includes IP licensing, technology transfer, and the design and qualification of Weebit’s ReRAM in TI’s advanced manufacturing nodes for embedded processing chips.

Weebit Nano CEO Coby Hanoch said the agreement represents a major milestone in the company’s commercialization path, stating: “Our agreement with TI marks a major milestone in our commercialisation trajectory, reflecting the quality of our Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technology, evolving industry perceptions, and Weebit’s growing reputation as the leading independent provider of ReRAM.”

Hanoch added that TI’s adoption is already having a broader market impact: “TI’s adoption of our ReRAM is already accelerating our commercial discussions with multiple foundries, Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs) and product companies, and momentum is continuing to build.”

He noted that while a third target fab agreement originally planned for 2025 has slipped into 2026, negotiations with multiple parties are advancing and the company remains committed to closing additional deals during the year.

Alongside the commercial momentum, Weebit announced the establishment of a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, aimed at supporting expanding engagement with customers in North America. The company says the move reflects growing commercial activity in the region and the need to support sales and business development efforts more closely. In practical terms, beyond the branding and signaling effect of the TI deal, Weebit is adjusting its organizational structure to deepen its footprint in the U.S. market, where many of its most relevant semiconductor customers are based.

Gideon Intrater to Lead AI Efforts

Beyond the headline commercial news, the quarterly report highlights technological progress designed to support the next phase: moving from demonstrations and agreements to product integration and manufacturing. During the quarter, Weebit completed technology qualification of its ReRAM at South Korean foundry DB HiTek, based on industry-standard JEDEC requirements for non-volatile memory. The process involved demanding tests, including high-temperature operation, program/erase endurance, and long-term data retention across multiple silicon wafer lots. The company says it is now working with DB HiTek to prepare for high-volume manufacturing readiness.

Another key technical update relates to demonstration chips manufactured at onsemi. Weebit reports that functional testing confirmed the chips are “performing as expected,” including full programming and readout of ReRAM arrays using smart algorithms and error-correcting code (ECC). The chips are now undergoing further qualification, expected to be completed later this year. The 65nm BCD Treo platform used for manufacturing is aimed primarily at automotive, industrial, and data-center applications that require reliable operation in harsh, high-temperature environments.

On the product commercialization front—working with “product customers” that integrate ReRAM directly into finished chips—Weebit says several products are already in design using its technology, and that it expects to complete the first product customer tape-out in 2026. During the quarter, the company also signed an agreement with a new U.S.-based product customer, reflecting what it describes as a broader industry shift in which ReRAM is increasingly viewed as the successor to embedded flash in next-generation applications.

In this context, Weebit cites a forecast by market research firm Yole Group, which predicts that ReRAM will grow 45-fold over the next six years and account for more than half of the US$3.26 billion embedded emerging NVM market by 2030. For Weebit, the data serves not just as market background, but as a way to frame the TI deal and its progress with DB HiTek and onsemi as part of a broader adoption wave.

Further signaling an expanded strategic focus, Weebit announced the appointment of Gideon Intrater as VP Systems and AI. The company notes that Intrater brings around 40 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, including senior roles at IP companies and leadership positions at Adesto and MIPS, as well as involvement in industry standards through JEDEC. Weebit says it plans to formalize an AI offering built around the advantages of ReRAM for edge AI applications, with an initial solution expected later this year.

Cognata’s Surprising Military Box

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By Yohai Schwiger

Cognata, a Rehovot-based company best known for developing simulators for training and testing autonomous driving systems, has unveiled a surprising new product that marks a strategic pivot into the defense market—an arena entirely new for the company. Until recently, Cognata focused almost exclusively on commercial automotive customers. But at CES this month in Las Vegas, it introduced AVBox: a compact hardware-software kit that enables standard military vehicles, both light and heavy, to operate autonomously in off-road environments.

AVBox is a self-contained unit mounted on the vehicle’s roof, integrating a sensor suite, onboard computing, and vision- and navigation-focused algorithms. It is designed specifically for off-road scenarios—unstructured terrain without lanes, traffic signals, or civilian infrastructure—and is built around predefined, mission-oriented autonomy. Rather than full autonomy, the system supports limited operational autonomy: independently navigating a vehicle over several kilometers, primarily for logistical and operational tasks, even in the absence of GPS, digital maps, or continuous communication with a remote operator.

Bridging Remote Control and Autonomy

This is not a prototype but a finished commercial product. AVBox is already undergoing advanced evaluation by a potential customer, following pilot trials in which it was installed on operational armored vehicles to convert them for remote or unmanned operation—particularly relevant for dangerous or logistics-heavy missions. Cognata’s solution effectively bridges the gap between remote control and autonomy. While many military vehicles today rely on remote operation, loss of communication—due to terrain, interference, or distance—often renders them immobile.

In such cases, AVBox can assume control and autonomously complete the mission based on predefined objectives, ensuring operational continuity without requiring full, always-on autonomy. Similar concepts are already being applied in Ukraine’s drone warfare. Designed for easy integration into existing platforms, AVBox enables rapid upgrades of current fleets without lengthy and costly development or procurement cycles. Cognata is actively marketing the system in Europe and the United States, which is why it chose to debut AVBox at CES.

AVBox is offered in three sensing configurations. The base “Scout” version relies on daytime cameras. A more advanced variant adds thermal cameras for night operations, while the most sophisticated configuration incorporates LiDAR to handle complex terrain. The system’s modular design allows customers to tailor it to mission requirements, terrain conditions, and budget constraints, with an emphasis on broad deployment rather than limited, high-cost use.

A Military Product Born from a Civilian Demo

The transition to an operational autonomous system emerged from two parallel developments in recent years. On one hand, Cognata’s simulator expanded into off-road driving domains, including robotic training and open-terrain simulation. Initially, customers for these capabilities came primarily from civilian sectors such as agriculture and mining, but over the past two years, the company has also begun supplying them to the Israeli military. This exposure highlighted real-world defense needs and the gap between available technology and operational requirements.

Shay Rotman, Cognata’s Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, told Techtime that some automotive OEMs were skeptical about the reliability of simulation and synthetic data for training computer-vision systems. “To prove that the technology works,” Rotman said, “we developed a computer-vision stack in 2023 that included sensors, processors, and algorithms. Initially, it was meant as a technological demo to show potential customers how advanced vision systems could be built using purely synthetic data.”

As part of that effort, Cognata developed a monocular depth technology capable of estimating distances and 3D structure from a single image. The system was trained on hundreds of thousands of images generated entirely in simulation. “It started out as a response to our own pain point and a way to prove the value of our simulation,” Rotman said. “At some point, we realized we had the foundation for a completely new type of system.”

According to Rotman, the decision to focus on limited, mission-oriented autonomy rather than full autonomy was also shaped by lessons learned from the automotive sector. “Civilian automotive aims for full autonomy, but that’s still far off and requires massive resources. In the military—especially in off-road driving—you can solve real problems today with task-focused autonomy.” That philosophy also influenced pricing. “In many militaries, there’s a gap between development and procurement because advanced systems are so expensive,” he said. “We wanted to offer something affordable enough for wide deployment—not a system that remains stuck in the experimental phase.”

A Growing Market Offsetting a Stalled One

AVBox emerges against the backdrop of a challenging reality in Cognata’s original market. Global investment in automotive technology has declined steadily in recent years, while major carmakers—particularly in Europe and the United States—face mounting business pressures. “Auto-tech today is a tough market,” Rotman said. “Many manufacturers are dealing with competitive and financial challenges and are investing less in autonomous driving development.”

As a result, Cognata significantly reduced its workforce over the past two years, adapting to delayed projects, slower investment cycles, and the prolonged path to commercialization in civilian automotive. “It’s a heavily regulated market with long development cycles and very high costs,” Rotman noted. “Not every company can keep moving at the same pace as before.”

With AVBox, Cognata is now positioning itself as a company operating in two parallel domains: simulation, where it continues to support the development and training of autonomous systems, and operational autonomy tailored to clearly defined defense needs. “We’ve moved from being a pure simulation provider to a company with two products,” Rotman concluded. “And in defense, there is openness, demand, and a genuine opportunity today.”