A perfectly sweet watermelon
Salah Abd Alhalem, Adam Garah and Ayman Sarha’an from Israel’s Technion Institute have invented a device that correlates a watermelon's internal and external appearance. Using three pictures of the melon at different angles, an algorithm determines its taste rating with 100% accuracy.
Two medals at Chemistry Olympiad
Israeli high school students Ron Solan and Rina Svotianovwon a silver and a bronze medal at the annual International Chemistry Olympiad which took place in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. 264 high students competed from 66 different countries.
Alternative fuels summit
Tel Aviv will host the fourth annual Fuel Choices Summit on 2-3 Nov. It will explore and exhibit innovation in alternative fuels and smart mobility. Israel’s Prime Minister will award the 2016 Samson Prize for a major breakthrough in the field of alternative fuels for transportation.
Beginning of the end for supermarket checkout queues
The barcode self-scanning and checkout payment smartphone app from Israeli startup SuperSmart could be the start of a revolution in Israeli grocery shopping. The app is currently on trial at an Osher Ad supermarket branch in Tel Aviv.
Protecting hospital data
Israeli cybersecurity Votiro’s unique “zero-day” technology quarantines emails containing malicious software that locks hospital systems and issues ransom demands to unlock it. Jerusalem’s Alyn Hospital for special needs children has just installed Votiro’s software to protect it against such threats.
Drip irrigation to save mushroom industry
Israeli water specialist Netafim has developed Mushroom Master - the world’s first drip irrigation system for mushrooms. It reduces reliance on expensive heavy peat casing soil to hold large amounts of water. Underground irrigation also avoids bacterial infestation.
Another power plant for South Africa
Israel’s Rioglass Solar has won a 70 million-shekels contract to provide receivers for a 100MW thermo-solar power plant to be built in South Africa. It is Rioglass’s 3rd power plant project in South Africa. Israel’s Brenmiller won a 4th project in June.
Israeli medals at Physics and Math Olympiads
Israel was 19th of the 87 countries competing in the Physics Olympiad in Zurich, winning 3 silver medals and a bronze. Israel was ranked 22nd among 109 countries that took part in the Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong, winning 3 silver and 3 bronze medals.
Genome mapped of durum wheat
Israel’s NRGene made a major contribution to completion of the project to assemble the 12 billion base pairs of durum wheat genome - the source of semolina, the key ingredient of pasta. It will result in better varieties of durum wheat - one of the world’s major food sources.
A concrete bench from a paper mold
Israel’s Skitza Print have used their Israeli Highcon Euclid digital cutting machine to produce a 4000-layer mold from recycled paper for a spectacular two-meter bench (entitled Morpheus) made from Israeli Eco-concrete. The bench is being exhibited in Taipei until mid-August.