Plant your own crops! (Shutterstock)
Plant your own crops! (Shutterstock)

good_news_from_israel_890x1002Good News Israel presents growing crops on water; developing alternate fuels, and much more.

By Michael Ordman

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Personal hydroponics

Growing crops on water used to be only available to big industry. Now Israel’s Flux has developed a device that lets individuals and small businesses install hydroponics on rooftops, in school gardens, basements and even in restaurants. Flux’s product was demo’d at Israel’s Cann Tech conference.
http://www.fluxiot.com/
http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/israels-first-canna-tech-event-draws-a-crowd/

5 research projects for joint US-Israeli funding

The MIT-Israel-BGU Seed Fund recently approved five joint research proposals involving scientists at MIT and at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. They cover water technology, spinal cord treatment, tomato seeds, online student training and photocurrent spectroscopy.
http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Pages/news/MISTI_BGU.aspx

A new kind of security

Israel’s Team8 is developing novel solutions for the cyber security industry. Once it generates an idea, it helps launch a startup to build the solution and then moves on.
http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/10/israeli-intelligence-vets-get-18m-investment-for-new-approach-to-cybersecurity/

A truly Green Ride

Israel’s Green Ride has launched the INU – an electric scooter that makes commuting much easier. It folds automatically, recognizes its owner and has a range of 40km at speeds up to 25km/hour.
http://inu.city/#the-inu

Solar power both day and night

Tel Aviv-based Brenmiller Energy will establish a 10-megawatt solar power station in Dimona, capable of generating electricity from solar energy for an average of 20 hours a day on a typical summer’s day. This is four times as many hours than any previous Israeli solar field.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/10-megawatt-solar-facility-in-Dimona-to-generate-electricity-day-and-night-390611

Goggles that enhance reality

Israeli start-up RideOn has developed augmented reality goggles that superimpose a computer-generated image into the user’s view. Direct-to-eye display technology positions the transparent display directly over the eye, eliminating the need to look away or refocus in order to read the data.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-made-goggles-revolutionize-how-we-see-reality/

Speeding up the mobile Internet

The CODS Mobile Edge Computing platform from Israel’s Saguna Networks increases mobile network speeds while reducing network congestion. Saguna has just received funds from Akamai Technologies and SoftBank Ventures Korea to help it expand in Asia, North America and Europe.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/softbank-akamai-invest-in-mobile-broadband-tech-developer-saguna-networks/

Developing alternate fuels with Italy

Through the Israel Fuel Choices Initiative (IFCI), Israel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Iveco (a Brand of CNH Industrial) and Magneti Marelli (FCA Group) for co-operation in the development of natural gas based technologies.
http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2015/02/12/israel-italy-announce-alternative-fuels-accord/
http://www.hybridcars.com/fiat-chrysler-involved-in-israel-natural-gas-vehicle-development/

 

Click here for all of this week’s Good News from Israel.