Last Evening at the Smart Industry Showcase

Last evening I attended the Smart Industry Showcase at Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners, which underscored how global innovation is finding a home in Georgia. Israeli companies presented solutions ranging from AI-driven traffic management to integrated public safety platforms — technologies designed to address some of the most pressing challenges in smart cities and modern mobility.

The Showcase was more than a series of presentations. It felt like a conversation between cultures, a meeting point where Israeli ingenuity met Georgia’s forward-looking infrastructure. You could sense the excitement in the room as each company explained how their solutions could be deployed in real settings, and attendees were quick to connect those ideas to opportunities here at home.

Tech Innovation on Display

Off-Shore Companies shared their breakthroughs. From drone detection to face intelligence, from autonomous vehicle integration to AI-based traffic optimization, each presentation revealed how technology is shaping safer, smarter, and more efficient cities.

Some examples stood out. One presentation focused on expanding energy availability for EV charging in public areas, a solution with clear implications for cities working to scale electrification. Another highlighted advanced capabilities to detect, identify, and neutralize drones, which is becoming increasingly vital for urban safety and critical infrastructure protection. There was also a demonstration of an integrated public safety platform that unifies multiple subsystems into one coordinated response tool. What resonated most was that these solutions were not framed as isolated products but as components of a broader ecosystem, and that broader vision came through strongly.

Curiosity Lab as the Setting

What made the showcase even more powerful was its location. Curiosity Lab is not a traditional conference hall or a showroom. It is a 5G-enabled living laboratory with a three-mile public autonomous vehicle roadway, intelligent traffic signals, smart streetlights, and a connected corridor carrying more than 14,000 cars daily.

This is what gives the Showcase weight. The innovations weren’t presented in a vacuum — they were introduced within a space already designed for experimentation, validation, and deployment. Curiosity Lab isn’t just a testbed; it’s a bridge between ideas and reality. Startups can bring their concepts here and see how they interact with real traffic, real infrastructure, and real communities. Through its International Launchpad program, it even provides a soft landing for companies outside the U.S., making global collaboration not just possible but practical.

A Statewide Push Toward Deployment

The themes at the Showcase aligned closely with the discussions at the ITS World Congress 2025, held just across town in Atlanta. There, the Georgia Department of Transportation introduced the Day One Deployment District — a first-of-its-kind initiative demonstrating vehicle-to-everything technology in live environments.

This matters because it signals a shift from pilot projects to production-scale deployments. The Day One Deployment District shows that connected mobility technology is no longer experimental; it’s here, operating on live roads with tangible benefits for safety and efficiency. Coupled with Curiosity Lab’s hands-on environment, Georgia is building a layered ecosystem where local, national, and international players can all test, refine, and scale their innovations.