- No-Hands-Needed Smartphone to Be Made Available for Free - David Shamah
Thanks to a joint effort with Google and Beit Issie Shapiro, an Israel-based global advocacy group for people with disabilities, Sesame Enable, the inventor of the first smartphone designed for people who are largely paralyzed, is offering a free device to anyone who needs it. "The Sesame Phone empowers people with limited or no use of their hands to gain independence and privacy and become digitally connected," explains Sesame Enable CEO and co-founder Oded Ben Dov.
The device is designed for individuals with ALS and other debilitating diseases in which victims are unable to move their limbs. The device uses voice commands and slight gestures for apps that usually require touch. (Times of Israel)
- Israeli Tech to Protect Planes at Seattle's Airport - David Shamah
Technology developed by Israel's Xsight Systems is set to protect planes at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. After tests and evaluation by the Port of Seattle, Xsight's RunWize will be installed - a system that automatically detects runway "junk" (foreign object debris) and alerts pilots. The system's GPS alerts ground crew as to exactly where the debris is located, enabling them to quickly remove it.
The system also includes Xsight's BirdWize, which helps protect planes from birds that get sucked into jet engines. BirdWize scans the area for birds and emits a tone to chase the birds away, with the system supplying specific tones and sounds determined by biologists to be annoying to specific breeds of birds. Wildlife management teams at the airport are dispatched to deal with any birds still around. (Times of Israel)
- World's Biggest Tech Firms Use Israeli Chip for High-End Video - David Shamah
The Israeli firm Valens will get the 2015 Technical/Engineering Achievement Award at this year's Emmy awards on Jan. 8 for its HDbaseT connectivity technology. "The HDbaseT cable protocol we invented and popularized allows the transmission of high-quality uncompressed video, electricity, USB power, and just about everything else on a single cable of up to 100 meters, and that efficiency and neatness has made HDBaseT very popular in the TV business," said Valens senior vice-president Micha Risling.
"Today, the standard for video production is 4K (4000 pixels horizontal resolution), which is high definition. Most of the cables that can transmit HD video are limited to just a few meters in length; longer ones are very expensive. So a studio ends up spending a great deal of money on cables." Or, studios - as well as businesses, offices that do videoconferencing, and even high-end home theaters - can use equipment with chips made by Valens. (Times of Israel)
VA to Provide Israeli ReWalk Robotic Legs to Paralyzed U.S. Vets - Julie Watson (AP-Military Times)
The Veterans Affairs Department has agreed to pay for robotic legs that could allow scores of paralyzed veterans with spinal cord injuries to walk again.
The VA will "provide eligible veterans with paralysis an exoskeleton for home use," said Dr. Ann Spungen, who led VA research on the system.
She called it "a historic move on the part of the VA because it represents a paradigm shift in the approach to rehabilitation for persons with paralysis."
Former Army Sgt. Terry Hannigan, 62, a paralyzed Vietnam veteran, was the first to get the robotic legs as part of a system test.
"To be able to hear the conversation, not miss half of what's being said because it's over your head, that in itself is a big plus," she said. "Now I can walk up, shake someone's hand. I can hug, kiss them."
VA pilot studies found paraplegics who used the exoskeleton as little as four hours a week for three to five months experienced better bowel and bladder function, reduced back pain, improved sleep and less fatigue.
The Veterans Affairs Department has agreed to pay for robotic legs that could allow scores of paralyzed veterans with spinal cord injuries to walk again.
The VA will "provide eligible veterans with paralysis an exoskeleton for home use," said Dr. Ann Spungen, who led VA research on the system.
She called it "a historic move on the part of the VA because it represents a paradigm shift in the approach to rehabilitation for persons with paralysis."
Former Army Sgt. Terry Hannigan, 62, a paralyzed Vietnam veteran, was the first to get the robotic legs as part of a system test.
"To be able to hear the conversation, not miss half of what's being said because it's over your head, that in itself is a big plus," she said. "Now I can walk up, shake someone's hand. I can hug, kiss them."
VA pilot studies found paraplegics who used the exoskeleton as little as four hours a week for three to five months experienced better bowel and bladder function, reduced back pain, improved sleep and less fatigue.
Israeli Robots Take Fight to Terrorists - Gwen Ackerman (Bloomberg)
When the Pentagon recently selected a company to supply a portable, stair-climbing robot that can sniff out booby traps, the Israeli firm Roboteam Ltd. got the $25 million contract, its second order for the U.S. military in two years.
Founded in 2009 by a pair of Israeli special-forces officers, Roboteam is benefiting from accelerating demand for inexpensive military robots that can be deployed by SWAT teams to foil terrorists in major cities as well as protect U.S. soldiers from improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and other combat zones.
Roboteam has managed to undercut rivals with lighter robots that sell for about half the industry average.
Its smallest robot, IRIS, weighs 3.6 pounds and can be lobbed into a building, providing a video stream to troops or police officers outside. The largest, PROBOT, carries 1,650 pounds of equipment.
During the 2014 Gaza war with Hamas, Roboteam machines helped IDF ground forces fight Palestinian militants firing rockets and infiltrating Israel through tunnels. The robots were also used to detect Hamas booby traps.
When the Pentagon recently selected a company to supply a portable, stair-climbing robot that can sniff out booby traps, the Israeli firm Roboteam Ltd. got the $25 million contract, its second order for the U.S. military in two years.
Founded in 2009 by a pair of Israeli special-forces officers, Roboteam is benefiting from accelerating demand for inexpensive military robots that can be deployed by SWAT teams to foil terrorists in major cities as well as protect U.S. soldiers from improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and other combat zones.
Roboteam has managed to undercut rivals with lighter robots that sell for about half the industry average.
Its smallest robot, IRIS, weighs 3.6 pounds and can be lobbed into a building, providing a video stream to troops or police officers outside. The largest, PROBOT, carries 1,650 pounds of equipment.
During the 2014 Gaza war with Hamas, Roboteam machines helped IDF ground forces fight Palestinian militants firing rockets and infiltrating Israel through tunnels. The robots were also used to detect Hamas booby traps.
Celebrating Israel - Editorial (Jerusalem Post)
- In large part due to slanted media reports, propaganda and downright lies, impressions of Israel worldwide tend to be negative - particularly among those who have never visited the country. But according to the UN Human Development Index released this week, things in the Jewish state are pretty good.
- The index, which takes into consideration income, life expectancy and education for a combined development score, ranks Israel 18 out of 188 countries. Not only did Israel surpass by far all of its neighbors, but it outscored the EU and OECD averages as well. Countries such as France, Spain, Italy and even Japan scored lower than Israel.
- Israel has the second lowest rate of maternal mortality in the world with just two deaths for every 100,000 births. And at 2.9 births per woman, the Jewish state has the highest fertility rate among the top 49 developed countries.
- With regard to overall life satisfaction, only the residents of Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland registered greater satisfaction with their lives than Israelis.
- What makes Israel's ranking so impressive is that it has managed to build a successful nation within an incredibly short time while waging wars, absorbing millions of immigrants, and incorporating a large Arab minority that is at best indifferent to the Zionist enterprise.
- Taking the time to appreciate all that has been accomplished provides the strength to face future challenges with courage and optimism.
Israel's Economic Prospects - Ilan Evyatar
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israels-economy-Reasons-to-be-cheerful-and-some-for-concern-452550
Israel's economic prospects are looking a whole lot better than Europe's and that of most member countries of the OECD, says Adam Reuter, CEO of risk management firm Financial Immunities. Looking forward, Israel has an "enormous demographic advantage." The 34 OECD member states have an average median age of 42 while Israel's median age is 31. In the crucial 20-34 age group the OECD is set for a 14% drop, while Israel is headed for a 28% gain.
Other areas where Israel has an edge include its technological advantage - Israel is among only eight countries that launch satellites into space; Israel is the world leader in R&D employees per capita and first in business expenditure on R&D, first in cyber security and second in scientific research. Then comes Israel's global edge - its export-oriented focus; generations of immigrants from around the world with their knowledge of cultures and languages and global networks of connections.
Israel is also undergoing revolutions in three major fields: water, where Israel now has a surplus due to investment in desalinization; energy, where Israel is set to achieve independence and to become a gas exporter; and transportation, where massive investment is bringing the periphery closer to the center. Moreover, while the world is experiencing a net loss of jobs due to automation, Israel's hi-tech industry is creating new professions and new jobs. (Jerusalem Post)
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israels-economy-Reasons-to-be-cheerful-and-some-for-concern-452550
Israel's economic prospects are looking a whole lot better than Europe's and that of most member countries of the OECD, says Adam Reuter, CEO of risk management firm Financial Immunities. Looking forward, Israel has an "enormous demographic advantage." The 34 OECD member states have an average median age of 42 while Israel's median age is 31. In the crucial 20-34 age group the OECD is set for a 14% drop, while Israel is headed for a 28% gain.
Other areas where Israel has an edge include its technological advantage - Israel is among only eight countries that launch satellites into space; Israel is the world leader in R&D employees per capita and first in business expenditure on R&D, first in cyber security and second in scientific research. Then comes Israel's global edge - its export-oriented focus; generations of immigrants from around the world with their knowledge of cultures and languages and global networks of connections.
Israel is also undergoing revolutions in three major fields: water, where Israel now has a surplus due to investment in desalinization; energy, where Israel is set to achieve independence and to become a gas exporter; and transportation, where massive investment is bringing the periphery closer to the center. Moreover, while the world is experiencing a net loss of jobs due to automation, Israel's hi-tech industry is creating new professions and new jobs. (Jerusalem Post)
Israel's Water Revolution and Its Overflow for the World - Oded Distel
Israel was until recently one of those countries facing a dire water crisis. Yet today, on the heels of a 7-year drought, Israel now produces 20% more water than it consumes, leaving enough water to export to its neighbors and a wealth of knowledge to export throughout the world.
Israel currently reuses 86% of its wastewater (slated to reach 95% by 2025); 60% of Israel's fruit and vegetables are grown using recycled, purified water. Drip irrigation was invented in Israel; it is far superior to any other process with 90-95% efficiency and a noted increase in crop yield. Five desalination plants provide over 25% of the nation's water supply and 80% of household water.
Israeli companies have installed more than 350 desalination plants in close to 40 countries, including the new Carlsbad plant in San Diego, producing enough water to meet the needs of 400,000 people. The writer is the founder and director of Israel NewTech, Israel's world-renowned National Energy & Water Program at the Ministry of Economy & Industry. (Times of Israel)
Israel was until recently one of those countries facing a dire water crisis. Yet today, on the heels of a 7-year drought, Israel now produces 20% more water than it consumes, leaving enough water to export to its neighbors and a wealth of knowledge to export throughout the world.
Israel currently reuses 86% of its wastewater (slated to reach 95% by 2025); 60% of Israel's fruit and vegetables are grown using recycled, purified water. Drip irrigation was invented in Israel; it is far superior to any other process with 90-95% efficiency and a noted increase in crop yield. Five desalination plants provide over 25% of the nation's water supply and 80% of household water.
Israeli companies have installed more than 350 desalination plants in close to 40 countries, including the new Carlsbad plant in San Diego, producing enough water to meet the needs of 400,000 people. The writer is the founder and director of Israel NewTech, Israel's world-renowned National Energy & Water Program at the Ministry of Economy & Industry. (Times of Israel)
Five Lessons On Cybersecurity From The General Who Built Israel's Defenses - Elizabeth MacBride
When it comes to cybersecurity, Israel sits at the center of the world. Israeli companies exported $6.5 billion a year worth of cyberproducts, about 10% of the world market, based on data from Israel's National Cyber Bureau. That's up from only a 1-2% share of the much smaller market five years ago.
In short, the Startup Nation has a sub-specialty. How did it get one? It turns out to be a top-down initiative, straight from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last week, I interviewed Isaac ben Israel, who's called the father of Israel's cybersecurity business.
Here are five lessons I learned from him:
- If you're a startup, cybersecurity is one of the biggest growth opportunities in decades.
- Perhaps the most important element of a cybersecurity strategy is that it be adaptable.
- Pay attention to privacy.
- Whether or not you're on the opportunity side of cybersecurity, you are at risk, and probably to a larger extent than you've realized.
- The opportunity and the risks are particularly large in the Middle East. (Forbes)
When it comes to cybersecurity, Israel sits at the center of the world. Israeli companies exported $6.5 billion a year worth of cyberproducts, about 10% of the world market, based on data from Israel's National Cyber Bureau. That's up from only a 1-2% share of the much smaller market five years ago.
In short, the Startup Nation has a sub-specialty. How did it get one? It turns out to be a top-down initiative, straight from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last week, I interviewed Isaac ben Israel, who's called the father of Israel's cybersecurity business.
Here are five lessons I learned from him:
- If you're a startup, cybersecurity is one of the biggest growth opportunities in decades.
- Perhaps the most important element of a cybersecurity strategy is that it be adaptable.
- Pay attention to privacy.
- Whether or not you're on the opportunity side of cybersecurity, you are at risk, and probably to a larger extent than you've realized.
- The opportunity and the risks are particularly large in the Middle East. (Forbes)
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-mobileye-joins-intel-bmw-to-develop-driverless-cars/
Here is one people may take a look at. Bit more interesting than water!
Here is one people may take a look at. Bit more interesting than water!
Palestinian Doctor Receives Gift for Saving Jewish Terror Victims - Maytal Yasur Beit-Or (Israel Hayom)
Rescuers Without Borders and the Hatzalah emergency team of Judea and Samaria have gifted Dr. Ali Abu Sherech with a first responder bag containing over a thousand dollars' worth of medical equipment.
Dr. Sherech cared for the late Rabbi Michael Mark's wife and daughter following an attack in the South Hebron Hills two weeks ago.
The Palestinian doctor was among the first to arrive on the scene after seeing an overturned car on the side of the road.
The emergency care Sherech gave Mark's wife Hava and his daughter Tehila is believed to have saved their lives. Mark was killed in the attack.
Rescuers Without Borders and the Hatzalah emergency team of Judea and Samaria have gifted Dr. Ali Abu Sherech with a first responder bag containing over a thousand dollars' worth of medical equipment.
Dr. Sherech cared for the late Rabbi Michael Mark's wife and daughter following an attack in the South Hebron Hills two weeks ago.
The Palestinian doctor was among the first to arrive on the scene after seeing an overturned car on the side of the road.
The emergency care Sherech gave Mark's wife Hava and his daughter Tehila is believed to have saved their lives. Mark was killed in the attack.
Israelis and Palestinians Who Work Together in Peace - Kate Shuttleworth (Guardian-UK)
At Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem, a heart attack patient is lying on an operating table. The head technician, Siham Sheble Masarwa, an Israeli Arab, monitors the operation, directing a team of Jewish and Arab medical experts.
Masarwa runs the catheterization lab in the intensive cardiac care unit. The hospital is a rare island of calm where Jews, Israeli Arabs and some Palestinian staff work together to treat patients.
Next door to the lab is the cardiology ward where Rashad Rizeq, 32, a Palestinian from Ramallah, has been selected for a residency. At Hadassah, Rizeq does his rounds, speaking to Palestinian patients in Arabic, most of whom are heart attack patients transferred from the West Bank.
At Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem, a heart attack patient is lying on an operating table. The head technician, Siham Sheble Masarwa, an Israeli Arab, monitors the operation, directing a team of Jewish and Arab medical experts.
Masarwa runs the catheterization lab in the intensive cardiac care unit. The hospital is a rare island of calm where Jews, Israeli Arabs and some Palestinian staff work together to treat patients.
Next door to the lab is the cardiology ward where Rashad Rizeq, 32, a Palestinian from Ramallah, has been selected for a residency. At Hadassah, Rizeq does his rounds, speaking to Palestinian patients in Arabic, most of whom are heart attack patients transferred from the West Bank.
- Female IDF Paramedics Who Treat Syria's Wounded - Ahiyah Raved
Sgt. Rotem Einav, a paramedic with the IDF Medical Corps on the Golan Heights, has treated over 100 injured Syrians in the past five months. The IDF Medical Corps provides first aid to the wounded Syrians, many times saving their lives. "I wasn't trained to treat Israelis, Jews, or Syrians," she says. "I was trained to treat people. If I see someone who needs help, someone who is in distress, my moral obligation is to help them. I don't even think about it."
2nd Lt. Leshem Shirgaouker said, "This is the greatest place to find yourself as a medical professional. You're here saving lives. It doesn't matter if they're Jewish, Arab, or an enemy. They're here and they're injured, and I will do everything I can for them....When I help send them back to Syria and see that their condition has improved - there's no greater feeling." (Ynet News)
Israel to Help Boost Farming in Kenya - Karen Kandie (The Star-Kenya)
Despite more than half of Israel being a desert, and only 20% is naturally arable, it produces 95% of its food requirements and is an exporter of agricultural produce.
Biological pest control is a key method of managing pests, instead of chemical pesticides.
This year in Makueni county, exports of mangoes were severely affected by fruit flies, and such a biological solution may provide relief.
Despite more than half of Israel being a desert, and only 20% is naturally arable, it produces 95% of its food requirements and is an exporter of agricultural produce.
Biological pest control is a key method of managing pests, instead of chemical pesticides.
This year in Makueni county, exports of mangoes were severely affected by fruit flies, and such a biological solution may provide relief.
- Israel: The Eighth Great Power of 2017 - Walter Russell Mead and Sean Keeley
The U.S. remains the most powerful country on earth, followed by China, Japan, Russia, Germany, India, Iran, and Israel - a new name on our list of the Eight Greats. A small country, Israel is a rising power with a growing impact on world affairs. Overall, the Jewish state continues to develop diplomatic, economic and military power and to insert itself into the heart of regional politics.
Large, off-shore discoveries of natural gas and oil are turning Israel into an energy exporter. Energy self-sufficiency is a boost to Israel's economy; energy exports boost Israel's foreign policy clout. Access to Israeli technology (like the technology behind the Iron Dome missile defense system) matters to more and more countries. Israel's diplomatic outreach to Africa and its deepening relationship with India benefit from Israel's ability to deliver what people in other countries want.
Another factor is the change in the Middle Eastern balance of power that has transformed Israel from a pariah state to a kingmaker. Syria, one of Israel's most vociferous enemies and biggest security threats, has now been broken. Egypt hates Hamas, ISIS and Islamic Jihad as much as Israel does; never has Egyptian-Israeli security cooperation been as close as it is today. Even more consequentially, the rise of Iran and its aspirations to regional hegemony made Israel critical to the survival of the Sunni Arabs, including the Gulf states.
Israel begins 2017 as the keystone of a regional anti-Iran alliance, a most-favored-nation in the White House, and a country that enjoys good relations with all of the world's major powers bar Iran. (American Interest)
Israel's Technologically Advanced Military - Yaakov Katz (New York Post)
Today, Israel is a high-tech superpower and one of the world's top weapons exporters with $6.5 billion in annual arms sales.
Since 1985, Israel is the world's largest exporter of drones, responsible for 60% of the global market, trailed by the U.S., whose market share is 25%.
Israel's customers include Russia, South Korea, Australia, France, Germany and Brazil.
In 2010, five NATO countries were flying Israeli drones in Afghanistan.
Israel has been in a perpetual state of conflict since its inception. This reality, of having your back up against the wall, sharpens the mind. It forces Israelis to be creative and come up with innovative ways and weapons to survive.
Today, Israel is a high-tech superpower and one of the world's top weapons exporters with $6.5 billion in annual arms sales.
Since 1985, Israel is the world's largest exporter of drones, responsible for 60% of the global market, trailed by the U.S., whose market share is 25%.
Israel's customers include Russia, South Korea, Australia, France, Germany and Brazil.
In 2010, five NATO countries were flying Israeli drones in Afghanistan.
Israel has been in a perpetual state of conflict since its inception. This reality, of having your back up against the wall, sharpens the mind. It forces Israelis to be creative and come up with innovative ways and weapons to survive.
- How Do Israel's Tech Firms Do Business in Saudi Arabia? Very Quietly - Jonathan Ferziger and Peter Waldman
Over the course of 30 years working in Israeli intelligence, Shmuel Bar came to recognize the distinctive language and religious phrases that suicide bombers used in their farewell videos. After leaving government service in 2003, he founded a company called IntuView, a miner of data in the dark web, adapting his analyst's ear for language to custom algorithms capable of sifting through unending streams of social media messages for terrorist threats. He sold his services to police, border, and intelligence agencies across Europe and the U.S.
Two years ago the Saudis contacted him, wanting his help identifying potential terrorists, on condition that he hide IntuView's Israeli identity. Not a problem, he said, and he went to work ferreting out Saudi jihadis. These days, trade and collaboration in technology and intelligence are flourishing between Israel and a host of Arab states, even if the people and companies involved rarely talk about it publicly.
The volume and range of Israeli activity in at least six Gulf countries is getting hard to hide. One Israeli entrepreneur set up companies in Europe and the U.S. that installed more than $6 billion in security infrastructure for the UAE, using Israeli engineers. Other Israeli businesses are working in the Gulf, through front companies, on desalination, infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and intelligence gathering. (Bloomberg)
