|
Technion Ingenuity On Display During Obama Israel Visit As details begin to emerge about President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Israel, there is increasing speculation about what will be on his two-day itinerary. One thing that is already certain is that the President will get a first-hand look at the Technion's influence on Israel's high-tech economy. At an event showcasing Israeli innovation, three of the six presentations will feature technologies (outlined in the paragraphs that follow) developed by Technion researchers and graduates. Technion graduate Dr. Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, created ReWalk, a powered external skeleton that enables paraplegics to walk and perform other daily functions (sitting, standing, climbing/descending stairs, etc.). The first system of its kind, ReWalk has been called “one of the five most important machines for humanity” by Steven Hawking. The device is already in use by more than 200 paraplegics in the USA, Europe and Israel. The system restores lower body function for paraplegics through a designated device that is harnessed to the body.
The Snake Robot developed by Professor Alon Wolf of the Technion Faculty of Mechanical Engineering can assist in search and rescue missions by entering collapsed buildings and other small spaces after earthquakes and other disasters. The robot’s flexible body enables it to squeeze through the ruins without causing additional collapse of the structure, and providing vital information from inaccessible areas about the condition of victims, and the existence of hazardous materials. Each of the robot’s many links is comprised of engines, computer, sensors, wireless communication and batteries, and the snake “head” includes a camera.
Guided by Technion Professor Igor Verner, of the Department of Education in Technology and Science, and his doctoral candidate Dan Cooperman, a trio of Israeli middle school students won the 2012 RoboWaiter contest in Hartford, Connecticut. The contest is part of the Fire Fighting Home Robot Contest, which Forbes.com has ranked among the top five robotics competitions worldwide. The waiter created by students Yarin Frenkel, Omer Zamir and Omer Shoshan shows the ability of robots to serve the disabled at home. It has 18 engines, sensors, a compass and a camera, and features “human” qualities to help users be more at ease with the technology.
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is a major source of the innovation and brainpower that drives the Israeli economy, and a key to Israel’s renown as the world’s “Start-Up Nation.” Its three Nobel Prize winners exemplify academic excellence. Technion people, ideas and inventions make immeasurable contributions to the world including life-saving medicine, sustainable energy, computer science, water conservation and nanotechnology. American Technion Society (ATS) donors provide critical support for the Technion—more than $1.78 billion since its inception in 1940. Based in New York City, the ATS and its network of chapters across the U.S. provide funds for scholarships, fellowships, faculty recruitment and chairs, research, buildings, laboratories, classrooms and dormitories, and more. |
|
