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Monday, October 16, 2017
Tower built by King Herod to house largest AR/VR technology showcase lab in Israel

TOWER OF DAVID INNOVATION LAB LAUNCH
First-of-its-kind Innovation Lab in Israel!
Only Innovation Lab in the world to be housed in a tower built 2000 years
ago!

Largest AR VR technology showcase to date in Israel!

The showcase will include the opportunity to test unique AR/VR experiences
using the Samsung Gear + Galaxy, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Google Daydream View
+ Pixel, the Rideon headset, Woojer’s unique haptic vest and strap as well
as the

Microsoft Hololens (one of the very few in Israel - 2 will be at the Tower
of David Museum on launch night .... and there are only 700 in the world!)
as well as the Robotics collection of Cybermoon there to welcome you upon
entering the museum in addition to visitor friendly apps and 2D
recognition/conversion to 3D using a variety of screens and tablets.

The showcase will include a wide range of companies from concept/MVP to
advanced stage startups.
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THE LAB

The ToD Innovation Lab at the Tower of David Museum will be launched on
October 17th with the largest AR VR technology showcase event to date in
Israel.

The ToD Innovation Lab specializes in the integration, piloting and
development of tech solutions which support and enhance the visitor
experience. The ToD Innovation Lab will offer a workspace, equipment and a
real time beta site for startups and industry leaders, providing content and
support all within the magnificent historic citadel. The ToD Innovation Lab
believes that technology is the key to telling the story, in order to
engage, educate and impact visitors worldwide. The Lab will also have an
inclusion component to help enhance the visitor experience for populations
with special needs through tech solutions. The ToD Innovation Lab is
supported by the Jerusalem Development Authority and offers collaboration
and sponsorship opportunities for corporate, municipal, academic and
philanthropic institutions and organizations.

The Reception Hall used by the former “Pasha” or Governor of Jerusalem
during the Ottoman Empire, located within the Phasael Tower built by King
Herod some 2000 years ago, is being transformed into a work space that will
become the center of innovation at the Tower of David Museum with a
2.7-million-shekel investment. This will be the first of its kind in Israel
and it is the only innovation lab worldwide that is located in such an
ancient premise!
The Lab is also unique in its concept. On a daily basis, the Lab will
actively be connecting developers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, corporations to
the museum/national heritage site world, delivering content to the developer
while simultaneously offering visitors to the Tower of David Museum the
opportunity to experiment with the different projects sponsored by the lab
in real time. The ToD Innovation Lab at the Tower of David Museum joins a
small but prominent group of world-wide museums leading in innovation.

The Tower of David Museum receives 400,000 visitors from Israel and abroad
every year that come to learn about Jerusalem, see the impressive
archeological garden, the exhibition halls, the panoramic views of the city,
the “Kishle” built in 1834, the Herodian pools, the secret passages and the
towers and the turrets of the Citadel. The Tower of David Museum, with its
diverse visitor population, makes it a perfect location for testing new
technologies developed to enhance a visitor experience be that at a museum,
heritage site or tourist center. The Lab’s vision is to connect the world
of international digital development to the world of museum content and to
find creative and contemporary ways to bridge the gap between the story of
the past and the ultra-modern technological experience. The Lab aims to
find new ways to bring stories to life, a challenge that every museum,
historical, cultural and archeological site in Israel and around the world
face today.

Eilat Lieber, Director and Chief Curator of The Tower of David Museum, “We
are always searching for ways, at the Tower of David, to make the stories of
Jerusalem, its history, its places and its people more accessible to as
broad an audience as possible. Israel is a hi-tech power in many fields;
and a land where the history of thousands of years is visible all over the
county. However, bringing these stories of the past to life and connecting
them with visitors today has yet to be really explored. While it is true
that many museums have an application to download, and many incorporate
interactive media, for the most part, museums are using existing
technologies such as touch screens. The ToD Innovation Lab at the Tower of
David will be dedicated to enhancing the visitor experience and will focus
on developing technologies that can display content in innovative ways. As
the technology and know-how develops at the ToD Innovation Lab at the
Museum, it will most certainly be incorporated into other museum and
heritage sites in Israel and, based on past experience, be closely looked at
by institutions around the world.”

Ze'ev Elkin, Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage, “The Tower of David
Innovation Lab reflects the uniqueness of Jerusalem at its best - a
combination of the city's ancient history together with a renaissance of
innovation and creativity. We see this as a great opportunity to show the
expertise that the Tower of David Museum has in all the various aspects of
visitor experience in museums, tourist sites and those of national heritage
and create innovative ways to enhance it”

Devora Mason, Manager of the ToD Innovation Lab at the Tower of David “The
opportunity to see the newest AR VR technologies together with other
interactive visitor friendly technology all arrayed throughout this amazing
historical site and museum is truly the merging of past and future and shows
us the possibilities and potential of reaching a whole new generation of
visitors. The fact that the Tower of David Museum, a site of archaeological
splendor of thousands of years, is hosting the largest AR VR event to date
is an exciting and promising start”.

Partnering in the opening of the ToD Innovation Lab is JNext - a joint
project of the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA), the Ministry of
Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs and the Municipality of Jerusalem. It aims to
strengthen and empower the technological ecosystem in Jerusalem. Additional
sponsorship is being provided by GKH Law offices, Accelerator, AToBe, Mass
Challenge, Virtually Israel and Start up Grind.

THE LAUNCH – OCTOBER 17TH

The Lab will be taking the lead in bringing AR/VR events and content to the
forefront of Jerusalem and showcasing industry leaders. In addition, it will
offer start-ups, entrepreneurs and students a chance to develop their use
cases and talents into pilots for culture and history. The Launch on
October 17th will include a showcase of over 20 AR VR companies making this
the largest AR VR event in Israel to date. In addition there will be
TED-style talks and presentations throughout the museum galleries and
courtyard. See here for details of Launch of the TOD Innovation Lab

The launch of the TOD Innovation Lab is part of the upgrade of the Tower of
David Museum that will double the area of the Museum and exhibits and will
include innovative and creative display methods. The cost of the upgrade
project of the Tower of David is estimated at $30 million.

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