Israel Active

(Thanks to Uri) Israelis Shai Avidan and Ariel Shamir have invented “seam-carving” also known as re-targeting. You can now reduce or enlarge the width of a photo without changing its height or distorting the content. It helps the easy transfer of images to mobile phone screens, for example.

Two scientific experiments designed by grade 8 to 10 Israeli school students were launched to the International Space Station, where astronauts will perform them in zero gravity. Holon students are testing the formation of sugar crystals and Mateh Yehuda students are looking to mix oil and water.

Israel’s Tonara iPad application displays electronic sheet music for each performer. The new version can follow any number of notes played simultaneously on any number of different instruments, track the user's current position in the score and turn the page at the right moment.

PointSwitch, from Israel’s PointGrab is designed to control home appliances via pointing and gestures. The PointSwitch chip can detect gestures up to 15 feet away and under all lighting conditions. PointGrab is working with manufacturers to embed its chips in “smart” appliances.

Tel Aviv is the venue for the PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe) Feb 2014 Winter School. The event begins with a workshop on Israeli innovation in High Performance Computing. Delegates include from Turkey, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Ha’aretz reports that the water flowing through Israel’s nature sites has increased tenfold over the past decade, and it’s expected to continue increasing due to new arrangements for supplying water to agriculture and the growing use of desalinated water.

A team of Canadians and Israelis has invented the Pawly – an electronic robot that allows dog owners to see, hear, speak to and play with their pet, even when far away. The team won the $20,000 grand prize in the Google-sponsored Global Startup Battle.

Israeli start-up MyEasyDocs is a system for checking that important documents (such as a college diploma) are genuine. Schools and universities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, law firms and organizations such as the United Nations, accept verified digital documents vetted by MyEasyDocs.

Israel’s Antileaks, is a device able to detect leaks in home plumbing systems and save up to 1 billion NIS per year. Antileaks was built by Gal Oren and Neriah Staru - two Computer Science graduates of Jerusalem College of Technology.

(Thanks to 12Tribe Films) If you live or work 25 floors up or (like me) just 3 floors up, the Israeli-developed Skysaver escape harness will allow you to evacuate safely from a building fire or other emergency. No pre-installation - just put it on, clip the harness to a support and climb out the window.