Aquanos “cleans up” at Cleanvest
Israeli wastewater startup Aquanos won the trophy at this year’s Cleanvest Summit in front of around 150 participants including international investors. Aquanos uses algae to produce clean water, biogas fuel and agriculturally-useful bi-products.
Annotate the Internet
The new Israeli “Peanut” browser allows Android mobile users to make notes and comments on web pages, sharing them with other Peanut users. Peanut already has thousands of users in Israel and is becoming rapidly more popular.
A 3D printer for dental labs
Israeli 3D printing company Stratasys has launched the Objet500 Dental Selection 3D Printer for larger dental and orthodontic labs that require volume production of highly precise, life-like models. It can create a variety of dental-specific palettes in a single run.
Sky taxis for Tel Aviv
Israelis are eagerly awaiting the world launch of the electromagnetic levitating taxis built by US skyTran together with Israel Aerospace Industries. The pilot is now targeted for early 2016.
Israel hosts global teen startup contest
The Israeli Pavilion at Milan Expo will host the finals of the first international competition for start-ups dedicated to children and adolescents under the age of seventeen. The finalists include Muslim students from the Israel-Arab village of Iblin.
NASA and Israel sign space cooperation agreement
NASA and the Israel Space Agency have signed an agreement to expand cooperation in civil space activities. NASA administrator Charles Bolden said the agreement would enable the US space agency to tap Israeli innovation and technology.
A geothermal partnership
Israeli geothermal energy developer Ormat Technologies is teaming up with Toshiba Power Systems to build geothermal power plants. Ormat’s generators combined with Toshiba’s steam turbines will help launch many new ventures, beginning with the Menengai geothermal project in Kenya.
Why females are more motherly and males more aggressive
Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered the triggers in the brain that influences motherly instincts and aggressiveness. Nurturing and hostility are instinctively gender-based behaviors controlled by cells, proteins and neurons in the hypothalamus.
Robots for China
As anticipated in a previous newsletter, China is working with Israel to develop smarter and better robots. It has just established a Sino-Israeli Robotics Institute at its $2 billion industrial park in the Guangzhou region of China.
Israel’s lunar module
Israel’s SpaceIL unveiled its prototype lunar lander at a ceremony in Jerusalem. The 50 guests included Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Science and Technology minister Ofir Akunis, plus Chanda Gonzales and Bob Weiss, who head up the $20 million Google Lunar XPrize competition.