Device allows ALS sufferers to communicate
Not everyone can afford the complex technology that ALS sufferer Stephen Hawkins uses to communicate. Israel’s EyeControl provides a much cheaper option using a laser device connected to spectacles. It achieved its $30,000 funding target on Indiegogo in under 20 days.
System warns of objects on the track
Israel’s Rail Safe is developing a smart system for Israel Railways to detect objects on the tracks up to a distance of 3 km. The system, the first in the world of its kind, uses a thermal sensor that detects and classifies objects in real time, warning the driver to prevent a collision.
Radiation protection for astronauts
More details on the radiation protection suit being developed by Israel’s StemRad that I mentioned in last week’s newsletter. StemRad is working with US defense giant Lockheed-Martin to develop a version of its gamma-ray shielding vest for use in deep-space missions.
Israelis dominate cyber security competition finalists
Three Israeli cyber security start-ups are among 11 chosen from around the world to compete in the finals of the Kaspersky Lab Security Startup Challenge – its search for global “cyber-stars”. They are Re-Sec Technologies, Cyber DriveWare and Security in Motion.
World Science Conference Israel
Fifteen Nobel Laureates and 400 outstanding science students from 71 countries are attending the first World Science Conference Israel (WSCI) in Jerusalem. The program includes Nobel Laureate master class sessions, a science workshop competition and excursions around the country.
Stand and sit up straight
Israel’s Oded Cohen has developed the UpRight wearable training device. Embedded with dual sensors, it attaches to your lower back with hypoallergenic adhesive strips and gently vibrates every time you slouch. Regular use trains your muscles and mind to sit and stand upright.
Look, no hands
Middle school students of Israeli startup Graffiti came 3rd in this year’s Junior Achievement Europe Company of the Year competition. They designed the Sit Up - a safety harness to carry children on one’s shoulders, leaving the adult’s hands free. Sit Up is manufactured by Israeli company Netiv, which employs people with special needs.
How ants carry heavy loads
Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have analyzed the methods that ants employ to transport food to their nests. Teams of ants are organized into formation by a guiding ant.
Tamar-Ashdod-Sorek gas pipeline completed
A new 22 kilometer extension to Sorek has been laid to the pipeline connecting the Tamar natural gas field to Ashdod. It will increase the gas supply to power stations in the South of Israel. Eventually 160 km of pipelines will transport gas all over Israel.
Preventing carjacking
Israeli startup Argus currently has the world’s only effective system to detect and prevent the kind of electronic attack launched recently on a Jeep Cherokee in St Louis. Argus analyzes data transmitted to a vehicle’s IP address and only accepts genuine commands.