Israel Active

I reported previously that Multi-national electronics manufacturer Flex had opened its new Haifa design center. Flex has now begun building a new production facility at Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut and will take on 200 more staff.

I reported previously that car maker Hyundai was teaming up with Israel’s Technion to research smart car technology. Now Hyundai is to open a development center in Israel. It will focus on energy, smart cities, artificial intelligence, smart transportation and robotics.

Israeli IT giant Mellanox is setting up an accelerator and support program for startups. It will include over 10 startups and focus on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, storage, high-performance computing, and cloud computing.

Researchers at Ben Gurion University have discovered that treating recycled wastewater using biofiltration is more efficient for irrigation in arid, sandy soils that are found in deserts. It increases the rate of absorption into the sandy soil, thus reducing surface evaporation.

Deputy ambassador to South Africa, Lesotho, Mauritius and Swaziland Ayellet Black, with two Israeli experts, led a course on drip irrigation and crop management to 19 local trainers in Swaziland. Severe drought almost crippled Swaziland last year.

I reported previously on the perimeter intrusion detection systems of Israel’s Magal Security. Magal has just won a $13 million contract to provide intrusion and cybersecurity systems for an unnamed major international seaport in East Africa.

To increase the level of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) after a series of bad droughts, Mekorot (Israel’s national water company) will pump desalinated water back into the Kinneret from the Eshkol water filtration plant - the fourth largest facility of its kind in the world.

I reported previously on Israel’s Freightos, which is making international freight transport easier and cheaper. Freightos also makes it eco-friendlier by providing a CO2 footprint calculation on every quote. Customers can then choose the route and mode (air, train, ship etc.).

I’ve reported previously on the Augmented Reality (AR) optical engines developed by Israel’s Lumus. Now Taiwan’s Quanta Computer is to manufacture AR headsets with the Lumus technology inside. The product is expected to be on the market by mid-2019.

Most people aren't aware that their credit cards or favorite retailers have price protection policies when products get discounted after purchase. Israeli startup and app Earny tracks the prices of products online and claims refunds for its users when prices of past purchases drop.