Nanotech materials conference
600 delegates attended the first-ever Innovations in Advanced Materials conference. It showcased breakthrough nanotechnologies from Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists for use in everything from sensors and coating materials to electronics and 3D printing.
Don’t text while driving
Israel’s Cellebrite - the company that (probably) unlocked a terrorist’s iPhone for the FBI - has launched the “textalyser” to detect drivers who used their phone before an accident. One in five deaths from road traffic accidents in the UK in the last five years have been caused by drivers using their phone.
A smarter kayak
Israel’s Motionize has developed sensors and proprietary algorithms to help kayak paddlers improve their performance. Motionize's product is already helping the US team train for the Rio Olympics.
Smart hotel apps
Tel Aviv - the Smartest City in the World in 2014 - is leading an integration of Israeli travel apps into 12% of the city’s hotels. The apps, Howazit, Dotz and Aspectiva, will communicate between guests and the hotel and give tourists details of activities and events.
Less electricity keeps hotel cool
Chiller Smart Management System from Israel’s Elencon Systems analyzes weather and location; predicts hourly conditions and switches off air-conditioners without sacrificing comfort. The annual $150,000 cost of cooling the Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv City Center has been slashed by $50,000.
This app will make you laugh
Comedy.com is a new mobile app designed for high-quality, short-form comedy videos. Founded by Israelis Barak Shragai and Dor Mizrahi, the startup just launched its free app on both iOS and Android. Comedy.com has just raised $1.5 million of funding.
The Israeli “Cyber Olympics”
Hundreds of kids gathered in Tel Aviv to compete for the title of Israeli Cyber Champ 2016. The massive gaming project competition aims to encourage students to choose tech as a career. One sponsor is Israel’s SanDisk – inventor of “disk on key” and a sponsor of the Rio Olympics.
Very small startups
Some of the Israeli nanotech startups featured at Jerusalem’s Innovations in Advanced Materials conference have never been mentioned previously in my newsletter. They are BioNanoSim and TrioxNano (therapy delivery), Voyager Medical (surgical sutures), OphRx (eye-drops), Neteera (bio-sensors). Neoprol (anesthetics), NanoAF (antibacterial coating) and MercuRemoval (toxic chemical removal).
Hundreds attend UK-Israel science conference
Top medical researchers (250 British, 100 Israeli) attended the annual BIRAX Conference in Oxford, England. BIRAX (Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange) focuses on regenerative medicine to fight diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s and heart conditions.
Grow more with less water
A new video showing how Israeli water technology has developed in the last 50 years to produce 700% more crops with the same quantity of this precious resource.