Cogniteam

Barak 555 Launches Security System with Innoviz LiDAR and Cogniteam AI

Posted on by Techtime

Barak 555, part of the Drive Group, announced yesterday (Tuesday) the launch of a new security solution, Barak Light Guard, developed in collaboration with two Israeli technology companies: Innoviz, a leading LiDAR sensor manufacturer best known for its work in autonomous vehicles, and Cogniteam, an AI company specializing in robotics. The system provides real-time alerts on suspicious activity and intrusions, with a detection range of roughly 400 meters and object classification capabilities enabled by the fusion of LiDAR and AI.

Cogniteam, founded in 2010, develops artificial intelligence and robotics solutions. Its Nimbus platform allows companies to build, manage, and update robotic software remotely via the cloud. Cogniteam works with defense, logistics, and agricultural robotics firms, providing them with tools to train AI models, deploy them across different platforms, and perform real-time software updates. For Barak 555’s system, Cogniteam supplied the AI analytics layer: its software processes data from LiDAR sensors and cameras, classifies objects, and significantly reduces false alarms—one of the biggest challenges in security control rooms.

LiDAR Moves Into Security

While widely used in autonomous driving and robotics, LiDAR is now gaining traction in security applications. Unlike cameras, which struggle in darkness, glare, fog, or heavy rain, LiDAR generates high-resolution 3D maps of the environment regardless of weather. These capabilities are crucial for systems monitoring open areas and complex terrains, where traditional surveillance tools often fall short.

The global security market is still in the early stages of adopting LiDAR. Pilot projects have explored its use for border protection, airport perimeters, and military or industrial sites. Companies such as Quanergy and Velodyne in the U.S. and Hesai in China are developing similar solutions, but the sector remains young and in search of mainstream adoption.

“Significant Advantage in Monitoring Open Areas”

Benny Lev, CEO of Barak 555, emphasized the breakthrough:
“For the first time, this LiDAR-based system enables long-range imaging and real-time detection of moving objects. It provides significant advantages for monitoring and securing open areas such as border zones, military sites, and critical infrastructure.”

The Drive Group operates several major Israeli infrastructure companies, including Highway 6 (Derech Eretz), Carmel Tunnels, Derech HaTzafon, Derech Btucha, and Barak 555. Barak 555 itself has been active for nearly 40 years, delivering large-scale projects in security, protection, and communications nationwide.

[Picture above: Cogniteam]

Cloud-based Software Platform Reduces Robots Development Time by 80%

Posted on by Techtime

To join the tidal wave of new robotic systems, one needs easy to use high-level plug and play solution with ready made proven libraries. Cogniteam from Petach Tikva (near Tel Aviv), said its new Nimbus Operating System, announced this week, answer these needs. “Nimbus Delivers a seamless user experience from development, to deployment, and in-field maintenance.” Said Cogniteam co-founder and CEO, Dr. Yehuda Elmaliah.

During the last 11 years Cogniteam has developed artificial intelligence technologies for mapping, navigation and autonomous decision-making, working with companies like Mitsubishi, Intel, and others. This experience is the basis of Nimbus: A cloud-based platform with all the artificial intelligence you need to develop, analyze and manage robot fleets remotely and in real-time. It contains a library of proven algorithms for mapping, navigation and is able to auto-configure these algorithms for quick set-up.

Nimbus offers pre-developed drivers and software packages in a drag n’ drop environment, making it easy to incorporate advanced sensors and complicated features. It also integrates with the open-source Robotic Operating System (ROS) and other 3rd party resources. Now, as hardware engineers develop the physical aspects of the robots, they can upload the blueprints into Nimbus and allow software teams to program the robot in a simulated environment.

Cogniteam co-founder and CEO, Dr. Yehuda Elmaliah
Cogniteam co-founder and CEO, Dr. Yehuda Elmaliah

“By allowing hardware and software teams to work in tandem, instead of having one team wait for the other, teams can cut the time needed to bring their product to market 80% faster,” said Dr. Nachum Kaminka, CFO of Cogniteam. “In the past, hardware-focused teams would focus their resources on developing the physical aspects of the robot. They become tied down by the unexpectedly complex nature of robotic software development,” said Elmaliah.

“Nimbus cloud-based platform makes it possible to share robot access through multiple teams, allowing software and hardware developers to work together during development and even troubleshoot in-field challenges, remotely.” The company said that Nimbus platform has already been adopted by partners such as AAEON and Adlink.

On September 2021, Cogniteam raised $4.2 million in a private investment equity round led by Seabarn Management’s Founder & CEO, Andrew Owens and an investment group from the UK-based Panthera private office. “Our recent funding round has allowed us to extend our product to new companies around the globe,” said Kaminka.

Open-source Robots

In fact, Nimbus is part of a wider move. aimed to bring open-source resources into the robotics industry. Cogniteam’s blog provides this context: “Most of the robots created today are still closed boxes; the OS cannot be updated, and they are not ROS-based. iRobot, for example, discussed their intention in 2019 to move away from a proprietary operating system to a ROS based one, and is currently using ROS only for testing its infrastructure in AWS Robomaker.

“This is just one example. If you take a look at the robots around you, most of the issues they face will never be solvable and their behavior will not change greatly. Today’s ROS-based robots will be replaced by a whole new OS with a full-blown new ROS release in a new robot. Now ROS has come into the picture, making data visualization, SLAM algorithms, and navigating robots something that anyone with some free time and a step-by-step tutorial can follow through, test, and customize.”