Israel Active

(Thanks to Israel21c) The Bactusense optical biosensor uses silicon-based microchips to trap bacteria from any liquid. Developed by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel’s Technion, the device is now licensed to Israeli venture capital company Capitalnano.

Israel’s Nano Z-Tech is developing nanocoating technology that protects many surfaces from liquid spills or rainwater, with diverse uses. It also allows visible light to penetrate roofs and windows, but not infrared light (heat energy), which makes NASA very interested in the product.

Back in September, Tel Aviv University signed an agreement to establish the XIN Research Center with Beijing’s Tsinghua University. Israel and China have now agreed to invest a total of $300 million to build one of the biggest academic R&D centers for either country.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has presented SAHAR – an autonomous robotic route clearance system. The system handles functions such as environmental terrain mapping, surveillance, removal of roadblocks, and disposal of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).

Dennis Mitzner writes about Israel’s dominance in the 3D printing market. By 2015, two companies with Israeli CEOs (Stratasys and 3D Systems) will together have almost 50% of the 3D printing market. And the Cross-Lab Network project will put Israel even further in front.

The Israel Electric Company (IEC) is offering fiber optic Internet connections to Israeli homes and businesses. From June, the “Unlimited” network is to offer speeds up to 1 gbps (1 gigabit, or 1000 megabits, per second). The fiber optic network is a national project being implemented out by IEC contractors.

Michel Combes, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent announced that Lucent’s Bell Labs is to open a branch in Tel Aviv this summer. Bell Labs has been innovating for nearly a century. Combes said its arrival in Israel is a clear confirmation of the confidence Alcatel-Lucent has in Israeli technology.

Israeli startup Corephotonics has developed a dual-lens phone camera that can produce crystal-clear images on a smartphone even when the zoom function is used. It uses two 13-megapixel lenses with their own sensors, thus improving low-light performance and producing cleaner images.

Israel’s Bluesphere is to construct a 5.2-megawatt power plant in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the fuel for the plant coming from organic waste from the city’s landfill site.

Pupils from Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center in Beer-Sheva have won their 45th prize in the "First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics" competition. Israel has won the most prizes since the US-based competition began in 2007 – more than the USA, Russia, South Korea etc.