The smartphone becomes a thermal camera

Israel’s Opgal Optronic has launched Therm-App, which converts Android mobile devices into powerful thermal cameras. For security monitoring, rescue operations, tracing leaky pipes, inspecting faulty machinery, or medical and vetinary diagnostics.

New bionic fin gives turtle real “freedom”

A disabled green sea turtle named Hofesh (“freedom” in Hebrew) can now swim again thanks to industrial design student Shlomi Gez. Shlomi built Hofesh a dual fin based on the design of Lockheed Martin's supersonic F-22 'Raptor' jet fighter.

$1 million for oil substitute

Israel’s Science and Technology Ministry, in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s Office and Keren Hayesod - UIA, is running its second annual competition for Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation. The prize will be awarded in December.

Six new solar fields

Israeli solar energy developer Arava Power Company has inaugurated six solar fields in the Arava and Negev, generating a total of 36 megawatts of electricity. Arava Power was the first company to inaugurate a solar field in Israel, which supplies 9 million kilowatt/hours of power annually to the grid.

A printer in your pocket

Jerusalem-based Zuta Labs is developing the Zuta Pocket Printer – a tiny robot print head that can move around on a page and print documents at 1 page per minute. Zuta has reached its kickstarter goal of $400,000 funding but you can still pledge to pocket one for $200.

Israeli system saves Chileans from tsunami

No Chileans died in the tsunami caused by the recent 8.2-level earthquake, thanks to the automatic alerts sent by the geo-targeted notification system developed by Israel’s eVigilo. The system was installed after 400 Chileans died in an earthquake and tsunami in 2010.

Nanotech reverses brain drain

In the past six years, 101 world-class scientists immigrated to Israel to become university nanotechnology faculty members. Some 750 doctoral students and 850 master’s students currently study nanotechnology and 7,500 nano-scientific papers have been published in the last 3 years.

An ecosystem of tech innovation in southern Israel

Advanced Technologies Park in Beer-Sheva will eventually have 16 buildings on 23 acres adjacent to the main Ben Gurion University campus. Confirmed tenants include Deutsche Telekom, EMC-RSA, NESS, Oracle and incubators Elbit Incubit and CyberLabs.

Building a green future

Tel Aviv University’s Porter School of Environmental Studies is a study building for green construction in Israel. Set to open in May, its sustainable structure demonstrates Israel’s green technologies and serves as a living lab for green building practices.

See it in your home before you buy

(Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israel’s Cimagine can show you what products will look like in your home before you purchase them. Cimagine lets you download photos from the web or an on-line catalog and place them on a real-time image of your room.