Israel Active

Here is a brief account by Seth M Siegel of the history of Israel’s work since the 1950s to tackle the scourge of drought in the developing world. Mr Siegel’s new book “Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World is published this week.

News of the Israeli-developed Skysaver escape harness that allows you to evacuate safely from the window of a high-rise building . SkySaver has received final certification from the Standards Institute of Israel and officially launched on Aug 3rd.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a contract to supply Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) of Tokyo with a training program for those whose job it will be to prevent cyber-attacks in the real world. DNP will become a reseller in Japan of IAI’s TAME Range training system.

Israel’s NanoLock has developed antibacterial nanotechnology that can be used to make prevent infections in tooth fillings, medical devices, even food and to combat air pollution.

Israel’s SQream produces software to analyze huge amounts of data. Its SQL Database won bronze in the Best New Enterprise Product category of the Best in Biz Awards 2015 International program. And its GenomeStack won a bronze “Stevie” award in the Best New Product of the Year – Big Data Software Solution category in the 2015 International Business Awards.

The Israeli-developed Intel Skylake is another huge advance in microprocessor technology, with more than double the performance, triple the battery life, and 30 times better graphics than most computers in use today. It consumes just 3 watts of power – current chips use 30-45 watts.

Israel’s GetPixie has developed the Location of Things (LoT) platform and produced Pixie points that you stick to your valued objects (keys, wallet, sunglasses etc.) Use your smartphone to find them anytime. Pixie can even alert you if you leave the house without them.   

Video to accompany my article about how Israel’s NRGene mapped out the genome of wild Emmer wheat, with its promise of new hardy and resistant strains. Emmer wheat – the ancestor of modern wheat - was discovered in 1906 by Aaron Aaronsohn in pre-state Israel.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, former President Shimon Peres and Israeli high-tech companies have launched “Give 5” – a program to double to 18,000 the numbers studying for advanced (5-point) math matriculation exams. It includes more teachers, resources and hi-tech lecturers.

Afula is the first Israeli city to have sensors fitted to 150 of its public trash cans. Garbage collectors will be now alerted to the receptacles that need emptying more urgently.