eretz
continued from page 31
Greener
Planes
Israelis working on
in-fl ight, on-demand
hydrogen production.
KEVIN HATTORI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
A
minum powder and water to produce
erospace engineers at the
hydrogen. Either fresh water or waste
Technion-Israel Institute of
water, already onboard the aircraft,
Technology in Haifa have
can be used for activation, which
developed and patented a process
means the aircraft does not need to
that can be used onboard aircraft
carry any additional water.
while in flight to produce
ABOVE:
The spontaneous and sus-
hydrogen from water and
Dr. Shani Elitzur
tained reaction between pow-
aluminum particles safely
shows the
dered aluminum and water is
and cheaply. The hydrogen
can then be converted into chemical reaction enabled by a special thermo-
between water
chemical process of aluminum
electrical energy for inflight
and aluminum
activation the researchers
use.
powder.
developed. The protective
The breakthrough could
properties of the oxide or
pave the way for less-pollut-
ing, more electric aircraft that replace hydroxide film covering the alumi-
num particle surface are modified by
hydraulic and pneumatic systems
typically powered by the main engine. a small fraction of lithium-based acti-
vator diffused into aluminum bulk,
The groundbreaking work was
allowing water at room temperature
reported in a recent paper pub-
to react spontaneously with the alu-
lished in the International Journal of
minum.
Hydrogen Energy.
The process does generate heat,
“Hydrogen produced onboard
which the researchers say can be
the aircraft during flight can be
used for tasks, including heating
channeled to a fuel cell for electri-
water and food in the galley, de-icing
cal energy generation,” said lead
operations or heating aircraft fuel
researcher Dr. Shani Elitzur of the
prior to starting the engines.
Technion faculty of aerospace engi-
According to the researchers, their
neering. “This technology offers a
technology would also provide qui-
good solution to several challenges,
eter operations on board an aircraft,
such as hydrogen storage, without
drastic reductions in carbon dioxide
the problems associated with stor-
ing hydrogen in a liquid or gas state.” emissions and a reduction in wiring.
Aircraft manufacturers, includ-
While the use of hydrogen fuels has
been a potential greener-energy solu- ing Boeing and Airbus, have already
investigated using onboard fuel cells.
tion for some time, storing hydrogen
has always been a problem. The engi- Boeing has experimented with them
in smaller aircraft, in anticipation of
neers worked around the hydrogen
using them on its 787-8, the current
storage problem by using non-pol-
state-of-the-art electric airplane.
luting Proton Exchange Membrane
According to the Technion research-
(PEM) fuel cells and a process of
aluminum activation patented by the ers, fuel cells can even play an ener-
gy-saving role in airline and airport
paper’s co-authors, Prof. Alon Gany
ground support operations when
and Dr. Valery Rosenband.
they are on used for systems such as
Elitzur’s research was focused on
de-icing and runway light towers.
the reaction between the activated
“Efficient hydrogen production and
aluminum powder and water ( from
storage represents the future for effi-
different types) to produce hydrogen.
cient and safe aircraft inflight energy
The foundation for the technology is
in the chemical reaction between alu- needs,” Gany said. •
32
July 20 • 2017
jn
Zelig, Ph.D., both BGU alumni, have
developed blood tests that identify
immune response to cancer.
Their tests require only a routine
blood draw, and then white blood
cells are exposed to a spectrum of
light. The nature of light absorption
can indicate an immune response to
solid tumors.
“We’re not measuring cancer
cells. We’re measuring how the body
responds to cancer,” Zelig explains.
More than 1,000 clinical samples
have been tested in Israel and Ukraine,
and they have achieved greater accu-
racy than ultrasound, mammography
and colonoscopy, he says. Also, blood
tests are less intrusive and less costly
than other screening methods.
Their research results have been
published, a patent registered and the
company hopes to begin sales in 2018-
19. Todos, located in Rehovot, near Tel
Aviv, was established in 2010.
DIACARDIO
DiACardio is one of a number of
Israeli companies using algorithms
and other advanced analysis to learn
more from medical imaging and other
tests. The company
was founded by Dr.
Noah Liel-Cohen
in 2006, when she
was a medical stu-
dent at Ben-Gurion
University.
Liel-Cohen and
BGU’s Professor
Dr. Noah Liel-
Hugo Guterman
Cohen
developed the tech-
nology and software to automate and
improve the evaluation of echocar-
diograms — ultrasounds of the heart.
These tests yield video images on a
monitor, which can be difficult to
interpret accurately.
With the click of a mouse on the
video monitor, DiACardio’s LVivo
platform automatically identifies the
borders of the heart’s ventricle walls
and uses the data to quantitatively
assess the heart’s performance. It is
quick and eliminates subjective inter-
pretations, Liel-Cohen says. The LVivo
EF, now FDA-approved and available
in the U.S., is being used in many loca-
tions.
CENTER FOR DIGITAL INNOVATION
The Center for Digital Innovation
(CDI) is a nonprofit innovation center
that combines aspects of a business
incubator, think tank and startup
company. BGU is one of its investors.
Co-founder Boaz Gur-Lavie says that
CDI’s role is to bring together “people
who think big with
data to improve the
life of citizens.
“We need to
address challenges
holistically,” he says,
using the example of
societal aging. CDI is
studying the health,
Boaz Gur-Lavie
housing, social and
other needs of the
rapidly growing elderly population.
Its office in Be’er Sheva’s Advanced
Technologies Park includes a life-size
model apartment designed specifi-
cally for older adults.
Gur-Lavie says CDI seeks out inno-
vative thinkers who can address soci-
etal needs and then provides support
services to prepare startups for the
U.S. market. •
Shari Cohen participated in the 12th annual
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev Murray Fromson Journalism
Fellowship.
Israel — The Startup Nation
Israel has been dubbed the “Startup
Nation” for its success in transform-
ing innovative ideas into high-growth
products that transcend geographical
borders. The statistics are impressive:
• Israel has more startup companies
per capita than Japan, China, India,
South Korea, Canada and Europe.
• Many startups are developing new
technology, especially software, for
healthcare, cybersecurity, telecommuni-
cations, robotics and artificial intelligence.
• Israel has 95 companies on the
Nasdaq stock exchange — more than
any country besides the U.S. and China.
• Israel has more technology experts,
engineers and scientists per capita than
any other country.
• Israel has 600 business accel-
erators and 100 venture capital funds,
attracting investors worldwide.
Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister of
education, wrote recently in the Wall
Street Journal that these achievements
are due to Israel’s education system,
which, he says, fosters debate and
teamwork, and the critical problem-
solving skills learned during compulsory
Israeli army service. Over centuries and
in many countries, Jews have often
turned to business as an occupation,
often with great success. In addition,
software startup companies usually
don’t require large investments for
equipment and facilities, which can be
a barrier for new entrepreneurs. •