Israel Active

On Thu 21st Feb at 20:45 EST, I watched the live launch of the rocket carrying Beresheet - Israel SpaceIL’s (and the world’s first) privately-funded moon lander. See video launch at 16:30; Stage 1 separation at T+3mins; booster return at T+9 and Beresheet deployment at T+33 and keep watching.

Israel is to establish an innovation laboratory specializing in environmental protection and sustainability. The government will provide millions of shekels to participating startups. Priority will be given to those with solutions for highly-polluting industries near to population centers.

I reported 3 years ago on Israel’s RideOn and its Augmented Reality goggles. The latest version – the Mohawk - is a full-face helmet. It includes GPS, 4K video, SOS button and ten-megapixel camera and much more. It measures pulse, velocity, distance travelled, altitude, temperature and wind speed,

Israel has now got its own hotline for computer users to call when they think that they have been the victim of a cyber-attack.  The 24/7 free service is the initiative of the national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) based in Beersheba. Dial 119 (911 backwards) and get immediate help.

I reported previously about two Israeli cybersecurity startups ( and ) specializing in the healthcare arena. Israel’s CyberMDX is another – it has begun an 18-month project to implement its protection on all the systems of Michigan Medicine, part of the University of Michigan.

I reported previously on the marine biodiversity benefits of Israel’s ECOncrete. Atarim, Tel Aviv’s coastline developer, has placed ECOncrete’s units at Jaffa port to encourage fauna and flora growth. ECOncrete products are also at Brooklyn Bridge, Rotterdam, Herzliya and Haifa.

Until recently, mission critical systems avoided wireless and Internet connections because they were too slow.  Then Israel’s Coretigo came along.  Its IO-Link based technology just attracted $10 million of funds, including from tech giant Qualcomm and Sierra Ventures.

In the joint project “Therapeutic Stromal Cells for Health in Space”, Israel’s Pluristem Therapeutics and NASA’s Ames Research Center will evaluate the potential of Pluristem’s PLX cell therapies to prevent and treat medical conditions caused during space missions.

Israeli startup Aura Smart Air has developed a combination of air purifier, smoke alarm and carbon-dioxide detector, plus an app to measure air quality inside and outside and provide tips and advice. Its kickstarter project’s goal was to raise $15,000 and it has already reached nearly $100,000.

Former Austrian chancellor Christian Kern is chairman of Austrian-Israeli startup FSIGHT. Kern is currently visiting Kibbutz Ma'ale Gilboa where FSIGHT is piloting a smart platform for managing distributed energy grids. Israeli and European energy companies are also participating in the pilot.