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As rockets wiz overhead 1,500 Israeli tech experts are working around the clock Inside the transformed Tel Aviv Expo Center to locate the more than 100 soldiers and civilians - including women and children - who have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas.
Using artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge tools, Professor Karine Nahon, who during regular times leads the data, government, and democracy program at Reichman University in Jerusalem, and her hastily assembled team of volunteers are examining videos and photos posted on social and traditional media, trying to mine clues that can be used to identify particular hostages. The makeshift war room is being run entirely by civilians, though they are sharing any intelligence they collect with both the army and the police, reports The Forward.
Archeologists have analyzed and mapped underground areas that could potentially serve as hiding spots for survivors — and the group has deployed rescue missions to see if people are hiding in those areas. They told the Forward they have located some of those who are missing, though would not share details.
Meanwhile, Nadav Zafrir, a former commander of Israel’s elite signals intelligence unit 8200 and now managing partner at the Team8 venture group, told The Financial Times that his company is working on using various technologies to support the government in its efforts to locate Israeli hostages. “Our innovation cycle hasn’t stopped, we are researching different areas,” said Zafrir. “All of them are incredibly relevant for this time.”
Read on to learn more about how Israel is using innovative technologies in its battle against Hamas and the week's most important technology news impacting business.

Imagine fulfilling current global energy needs from humidity in the air.

Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla envisioned the concept of universal energy - power that would be drawn from the air itself and supplied to homes, machinery and vehicles, without wires or cables – as far back as 1899. While it may still sound like science fiction material scientist Svitlana Lyubchyk and her twin sons Andriy and Sergiy are out to prove it can be done. They are scheduled to demo technology which allows direct conversion of humidity in the air into electricity at PUZZLE X, a conference about future technologies that will take place in Barcelona November 7 - 9.

The trio, who co-founded Lisbon-based CascataChuva, are not the only ones trying to change atmospheric humidity into renewable energy but the company says it is poised to become the first to commercialize the technology. By the end of next year, the company hopes to begin producing a one-cubit meter-sized device that can produce 10 kilowatts of electrical energy a day – enough to power the needs of one household up to 200 square meters – for 20 years or more. The devices will be designed to power individual apartments and places that can not use solar energy.

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Using laser technology developed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), inPhocal is disrupting the marking industry by developing new ways to print expiration dates and QR codes on food and beverages and personalize and verify the origin of luxury goods. The same laser technology can also be used to shape automotive parts and slice semiconductor wafers. The Dutch startup, which won the CES 2022 Innovation award, is currently involved in several pilots: one with luxury goods maker LVMH and another with one of the world’s largest beverage manufacturers.

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Value of expected productivity improvements for manufacturing and supply chain-related activities from Generative AI, according to Enno de Boer, Head of Global Operations Technology at McKinsey & Company. He made the observation during a World Economic Forum event called Lighthouses Live 2023 that examined how Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies are impacting manufacturing.