Israeli Touch-Free Phone Creator Sesame Enable Opens US HQ

November 14, 2017 | The Israeli tech company Sesame Enable, the creator of the first hands-free smartphone and a developer of hands-free control technologies for mobile devices, has opened its first US headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. The Hadera-based company was founded in 2012, developing its Open Sesame technology which enables users to operate smartphones through head movements and voice commands. The touch-free smartphone is primarily aimed at disabled users and those who cannot use their hands. It was developed by tech entrepreneur Oded Ben Dov and former electrical engineer Giora Livne, who became a quadriplegic following a serious accident over a decade ago. The technology is used in the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) program which gives communications devices to disabled citizens, according to a report in the Washington Business Journal. Executives from Sesame Enable met Maryland Governor Larry Hogan during a trade mission to Israel in 2016. “Governor Hogan has been an active supporter of Sesame Enable for the past year as we searched for a US headquarters that would align with our vision of supporting people with physical challenges,” said Sesame Enable CEO and co-founder Oded Ben Dov, in a statement released by the governor’s office. “We chose Maryland because of the backing we have received from the state subsidy program, and Bethesda’s proximity to health institutions, including those focusing on veterans. In addition, we are now close to Washington, DC, where we know we’ll have opportunity to influence change needed to make our technology readily available to all Americans who can benefit from it.”