Israel Active

(Thanks to Herb) For a small country, Israeli start-ups are really thinking big. Many are at the forefront of “crunching data” to give big companies information on what business would be profitable. (Warning – article is mainly for “geeks” or those with a big interest in IT)

(Thanks to Size Doesn’t Matter) Israeli start-up Woosh has launched its global pilot, providing free drinking water in Tel Aviv’s public spaces.

Israeli start-up Sensibo is a remote control technology that controls the temperature of your home. It can reduce energy usage by up to 40 percent. Sensibo is now raising funds on IndieGogo.

A delegation of 18 Israeli companies providing solutions to the Oil & Gas industry presented at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas. They included Flow Industries, who make the “green” AirShock pre-fracking and oil well rejuvenation system.

(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.