Israel Active

The AirFort machines from Israel’s WarpUV use a 3D array of UV lights to disinfect travel bags and packages. They will help stop the spread of bacteria, spores and the viruses that cause, seasonal influenza, Covid-19, and viruses yet to come. WarpUV plans to start delivering AirForts this year.

The first 3D printed integrated radiofrequency (RF) circuit from Israel’s Nano Dimension has been sent to the International Space Station (ISS) for space effects studies. The circuit will be used to transmit data to and from the ISS, to assess if such components can withstand the rigors of space.

Facebook has begun roll-out of Instagram Lite, designed by its Tel Aviv team. The software was developed for people in remote communities with poor internet access. It requires only 2MB to download on Android (unlike the 30MB full version) and will be launched in 170 countries this week.

Israel’s Nostromo has developed IceBrick – water-based energy storage cells as an environmentally friendly alternative to Lithium-based storage for renewable energy. Excess solar energy is converted into ice, which is then used to cool offices, hospitals etc. when the sun goes down.

Israel’s Ilsar Truffles grows its truffles in a solar-powered, eco-friendly nursery in the Golan Heights. Ilsar inoculates every seedling root system with pre-qualified truffle spores and tags each with a unique data tracking ID code. A truffle takes 7-10 years to mature. No truffle-sniffing pigs or dogs required.

The software from Israel’s Incredibuild is used by world leading brands such as Microsoft, Amazon, Barclays, Citibank, Disney, Intel, and Samsung to build IT systems much faster than using traditional methods. Incredibuild redistributes idle computer resources to accelerate all development processes.

Israel is testing a first-of-its-kind national drone network initiative - primarily to transport cargo in cities. Using software from Israel’s Airwayz, 20 drones from different companies have been flying simultaneously over the city of Hadera, managed from Israel’s air traffic control center in Haifa.

Israel’s Ben-Gurion University is partnering the New Jersey Institute of Technology to establish a world-class Institute for Future Technologies in Newark, New Jersey. The new joint NJIT-BGU Institute will offer dual degrees and research posts in cybersecurity and environmental engineering.

For the first time, students can study in Israel for a master’s degree in Smart Cities and Urban Informatics. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is offering a one-year international program in English to educate a new generation of urban planners, administrators and decision-makers.

Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have generated a sonic black hole – a system from which sound waves cannot escape. Its purpose was to emulate a true black hole from which light cannot escape. It even emits Hawking radiation, as predicted by the scientist Professor Stephen Hawking over 50 years ago.