Israel Active

Thanks to Israeli clean-tech Hagihon, Jerusalem’s Water and Wastewater Utility was one of the top 5 cities cited in the recent EU report “EIP Water, City Blueprints of 25 Cities and Regions, Interim Report.” Jerusalem top-scored in planning, drinking water quality, and water efficiency.

This 17-minute video of Israel’s IDC Professor Guy Hoffman had over 1.2 million views in four days. YouTube ranked the lecture “The Interaction between Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Art” as one of the three most viewed videos in the world.

Professor Doron Aurbach of Bar Ilan University’s Nano Cleantech Center is leading the development of lighter, longer-lasting batteries. With partners GM, BASF and local Israeli tech firms, they are using lightweight nano-materials and replacing lithium with cheaper magnesium.

(Thanks to Nevet - www.BroaderView.org) The Economist (not known to be Israel-friendly) has praised Yossi Leshem of Tel Aviv University. Yossi’s research led to a radar system that detects possible aircraft collisions with flocks of birds. It has helped the Israeli Air Force reduce bird strikes by two-thirds.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will unveil its Iron Beam laser air-defense system at next month's Singapore Air Show. Iron Beam is a high-energy laser based system against rockets, mortar, and airborne target attacks. It complements Iron Dome by intercepting very short-range rockets.

Israeli Roee Magdassi (a student at the Bezalel Design Academy in Jerusalem) has designed the Stakes camping grill that folds up to the size of a paper towel when not in use. His IDF service inspired him to make a lightweight alternative to the ones he had to carry in his army backpack.

Israel’s Wi-Fi chip manufacturer Celeno is to deliver its unique “implicit beamforming” technology into the hardware of global company broadband company Ubee. The effect will be to extend the coverage and boost the Wi-Fi signal to any device, whether laptop, tablet or smartphone.

(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Yissum, the Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has developed low-cost oxidation-resistant copper nano-inks. They can replace expensive silver inks that make up circuits in RFID-tags, solar cells, sensors and electrodes for displays.

Something weird happens if you place two electrical insulators together. The bit in the middle conducts electricity. Scientists couldn’t investigate further until Dr Shahal Ilani built a nanotube-based sensor that could see below the surface. It has opened up a whole new field in physics.

Forty students at Herzliya High School have built a low-cost micro-satellite to be launched by Russia in April. The 10cm cube will circle the Earth every 90 minutes and form part of a network of international satellites designed to provide a cell phone lifeline to travelers in remote areas.