Israel Active

Ben Gurion University looks forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020 with this entertaining and inspiring video, depicting’s BGU’s vision of medicine and science in 2050.

Israel’s SpaceIL is one of only five teams (out of 33 starters) to reach the final of the Google Lunar XPrize competition, which will award $20 million to the first private team to land a vehicle safely on the surface of the Moon.  The five teams all now have verified launch contracts.  The announcement also coincides with Israel Space Week.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is to establish an independent Technology Innovation Center in Israel.  The information was revealed at the Cars 2017 conference in Tel Aviv.  Renault-Nissan is the latest carmaker looking to exploit Israel's leading smart car capabilities.

I reported previously on the plan by Israel’s Gigawatt Global to build a 7.5 MW solar field in Burundi, East Africa. The $14 million project has now broken ground with a ceremony attended by about 2,500 government officials, investors, religious leaders and diplomats.

Israel’s Rootclaim has launched a crowdsourced analysis platform that navigates a sea of evidence and half-truths to arrive at the most likely hypothesis.  What happened to flight MH370?  Does the MMR vaccine cause autism?  Find the (likely) answer on this site.

Israel’s BwareIT has developed BrighTap, a smart water meter sensor that monitors water quality and consumption. BrighTap beat 1,000 startups from 101 countries to win the 2016 Startup Open competition, run by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN).  It was also one of CNBC’s hottest startups of 2016.

Israel’s Hishtil Nurseries produces the Cola plant (Artemisia abrotanum). Its leaves give a caramel flavor to hot and cold beverages, and even salads, stews and stir-fries. It is one of 250 kinds of culinary herbal plants exported by Hishtil across Western Europe and North America.

I reported previously on Israel’s VocalZoom and its amazing voice recognition software that eliminates noise.  It has now put the system onto portable sensors so it can now be used as a biometric method for authenticating someone - just like a fingerprint.

Weizmann Institute scientists have determined the cause of a heavenly flash of light, on June 14 2015, that was double the intensity of any previous supernova.  They ascertained that it was a star being swallowed by a massive black hole, rotating close to the speed of light.

I’ve reported previously on Israel’s Playsight and its Smart Court tennis training system. The system has now been adapted for basketball and installed by NBA Champions Golden State Warriors in Oakland California.