Technology, these days, has become
the bedrock of measuring civilization of any country of the world.
The countries regarded as world
leaders, super powers got their enviable titles as the results of their technological
advancement. Among these countries that have put their names in the ‘hall of
fame’ of technology, there is a significant one that always leaps ahead of the
others.
There is a tiny country, Israel, which
has become a leading force in anything that could be called ‘advancement’.
In this piece, here is a look at ten
Israeli innovations whose futuristic outlook will shape days to come.
SkyTran
The irony of Israel’s terrible
rush-hour traffic is that some of the country’s most innovative problem solvers
have no choice but to squander their time commuting to work with the rest of the
people.
However, Tel Aviv is soon set to
become the world’s first city to have a mass-transit system based on the Maglev
(magnetic levitation) technology, co-developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center.
The SkyTran System will be comprised of two person pods that float down by
means of overhead magnets. This electromagnetic mechanism ensures a virtually
silent commute above bustling city streets, with zero emissions.
It comes with a whooping price. At an
estimated cost of $50 million: the four-mile route to be constructed during the
coming year will connect the Tel Aviv University train station with the nearby
Atidim high-tech park and take about 18 months to construct.
Green
Feed
Another important advancement being
made in Israel is in the realm of alternative fuel. Israel is a world leader
when it comes to oil-free energy innovation and Professor Moti Hershkowitz of
Ben Gurion University is no different.
Hershkowitz developed a “green feed”
that replaces crude oil and is made from CO2 and water. Basically, it is a
substance that can be refined using slightly-modified existing refineries and
emits nothing but water vapors. While the technology is still a decade away
from commercial application, the fuel that will power the cars of the future
may very well come from Israel.
IceCure
Medical
If someone told you that it is
possible to do away with large tumors in just 15 minutes by turning them into
balls of ice, you might just laugh at them. Yet Israel’s IceCure Medical has
made this frozen miracle a reality. Following a successful clinical trial,
patients diagnosed with benign and mildly malignant lung and breast tumors will
be the beneficiaries of a new sub-zero procedure.
The IceSense3 cryotherapy procedure
utilizes liquid nitrogen to chill a needle to -274F (-170C), which is then
inserted into the tumor. The extreme cold destroys the dangerous tissue in a
procedure that takes just 10-15 minutes and is scar-free.
Gauzy
Blinds, billboards, and windows are
about to get a serious makeover.
The Israeli company Gauzy has an
incredible patent-pending technology that will change the meaning of
transparency. The Liquid Crystal Controllers, similar to what you would find in
a LCD TV, enables users to control glass like never before with dimming
functions and different levels of transparency, all with the flip of a switch.
Gauzy also offers glass with optional implanted transparent solar cells, for
the environmentally conscious.
The technology is far-reaching and
applicable to practically any surface made of glass. From vending machines to
refrigerator doors, sunroofs to elevators, the world will be viewed in a
different light, and under personalized settings.
Urban
Aeronautics
Many have come and gone trying to
produce the ultimate mode of sci-fi travel; the flying car, hovercrafts,
teleporters among others.
Nevertheless, when former IAF
fighter pilots got together to create a “rotorless” vertical takeoff and
landing (VTOL) utility aircraft, it was bound to go places. Urban Aeronautics’s
latest vehicle — the AirMule — is set to become the world’s first unmanned
flying ambulances, thanks to its unique ability to land in crowded urban
environments.
The applications for such an easily
maneuverable vehicle are numerous, but the AirMule is likely to be put to first
use by the sectors that need it most—the military and emergency medical
responders.
Wi-Charge
Low battery got you down? Well,
Wi-Charge’s futuristic infrared technology will charge you up, anywhere!
Just as your smartphone, tablet or
computer automatically recognizes internet hot spots, Wi-Charge’s technology
will charge your device via harmless infrared beams transmitted from a device
similar to a Wi-Fi router mounted on a ceiling. This means that wherever you
are sitting, the wireless charge will follow you, making sure that you have all
the juice you need to keep your busy schedule going. Wi-Charge is not the only
wireless charge technology on the market, but it is a giant step up from charge
through magnetic induction (the notion of surface-to-surface charging) which is
only able to charge devices at a short range.
Although Wi-Charge’s technology is
still in development, the company hopes to issue both the transmitter and
receiver of their wireless charging technology within the next 12-18 months.
Night
Vision Lenses
Whether used for sports, defense or
just for fun, the green glow of an infrared-enabled image is something that
excites many people. Now, Professor Gabby Sarusi of Ben Gurion University is
working on a nano-material that can be placed on any lens – turning it into a
night-vision apparatus. There’s no doubt that Sarusi’s material can make
sunglasses even more useful after sunset.
Mobileye
It might sound like something out of
a Transformers movie, but there are cars that can see their surroundings and
talk to one another. Israeli company Mobileye (that is reportedly planning the
largest IPO ever by an Israeli company), has developed a system that enables a
car to drive itself when the driver lets go of the wheel – and even break in
face of danger. While being selected by top automotive companies such as Audi
and BMW, the company is still working to improve its technology, eventually
leading to a completely driverless car.
StoreDot
How often have you found yourself
being delayed somewhere waiting for your phone to charge? Well, that (and many
other charging-related issues) may very soon be a thing of the past with
Israeli company, StoreDot’s technology.
The company developed an array of
materials based on organic nanodots, which enable all sorts of great
applications, such as a phone battery that charges in 30 seconds and data
storage devices that are much more efficient than anything else currently on
the market.
Real
View
In the TV series Star Trek, the
Enterprise’s crew would go to the holodeck to take a break from the woes of
space travel, relaxing in various holographic environments. While full-room
holographics are still a long ways away, Israeli company, Real View, has developed
technology which enables projecting a real-life rendering of a patient’s heart directly
in front of a surgeon.
This way, the doctor can track the
heart’s condition, without having to perform any invasive procedures.
Perhaps, the Israelis are not investing
in education and research technologies – they would not be where they are
today.
In the same vein, if their political
leaders were corrupt and their judiciary – ineffective, they might (probably) have
gone into extinction by now.
Seriously, Nigeria needs to learn a
lot from Israel.
Culled from NoCamels Israeli Innovation News, and edited.