It's that time of year again. The time of year when your kids come down with all sorts of earaches, sore throats, coughs, and the rest of the slew of worrying symptoms that befall both young and old during the winter.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is quickly taking over society. From smart watches to smart home systems, the IoT is infiltrating our lives on a larger and larger scale, and for good reason. The IoT makes us use energy more efficiently, stay aware of the world around us while also using the internet, and keep track of basically anything, and that's barely scratching the surface of how much the IoT is affecting the world around us.
Energy based off of non-renewable resources is a huge problem. Not only does it pollute the air with carbon dioxide and other emissions, it is also not a renewable resource. Luckily we can use energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy. Not so luckily it's fairly expensive to do so...or at least it was until Utilight, a six-year old Israel start-up, came around.
As much as the trucking industry is both helpful and necessary, it's also an enormous pain in the neck. Trucks, which are often empty or not filled to optimum capacity, cause traffic congestion, air pollution and can be a waste of manpower and time. Not only that, but in Europe alone, inefficiency has been estimated to have cost 160 billion Euro. What if we could change something with the trucking industry that not only lowers air pollution and traffic congestion, but also makes transporting goods more efficient and cost-effective? Well it turns out we can.
Sleep is extremely important. Without it we have a lot of trouble functioning. Sleep is often passed over when thinking about one's health. “So I don't get 9 hours of sleep every night, what's the big deal?” The big deal is sleep deprivation, which can be a lot more harmful than a little yawning or possibly decreased performance at work. The National Department of Transportation estimates that drowsy driving has lead to 1550 fatalities and 40000 injuries in the USA. As you can see, sleep deprivation is not just an annoyance; it's a danger.
With the onslaught of recent terror attacks in Israel, it's been hard to feel safe. The person next to you at the bus stop may be hiding a knife in their pocket. Any car on the road may swerve and attempt to ram into you. These attacks are nearly impossible to prevent, as many of them are lone wolf attacks. While technology may not be able to completely prevent these attacks, it may be able to help with the response. Two Israeli startups are helping Israelis get a quicker and more effective response from emergency services.
For the past 20 years G.A.L. Technologies in Caesarea, Israel, has been quietly giving humanitarian aid in the form of water purification to countries in Africa.
Until recently, spinal cord injuries have meant a short, painful and immobile life in bed or in a wheelchair. The Israeli-based ReWalk changed that in 2011, when it developed the first version of its revolutionary bionic body suit, the the ReWalk I.
After a number of acquisitions in Israel, Facebook announced that it plans to turn the former headquarters of Onavo, an Israeli start-up which Facebook purchased last October, into a center for development and growth around the world.
The Cleantech Group, a Swedish-based international monitor, recently published the results of a study ranking countries by the innovation in their cleantech sector. The study placed Israel first in the world, above Finland, the United States, Sweden and Norway.
