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After an Eight-Year Hiatus, Technion Hosts Israel's National Mechanical Engineering Conference Focused on the AI Era

03.08.2026

After an eight-year interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent wars, Israel’s mechanical engineering community gathered at the Technion for the 36th National Mechanical Engineering Conference. The event marked not only the revival of a long-standing professional tradition but also the commitment of Israel’s mechanical engineering community to lead the response to the dramatic technological changes expected over the coming decade.

Some 650 researchers, industry professionals, students, and alumni attended this year’s conference, held under the theme “Mechanical Engineering in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” The program featured 168 technical presentations, along with panel discussions and networking sessions exploring the impact of the AI revolution on the engineering profession. A technology exhibition was held alongside the conference, including the Formula race car designed and built by Technion students.

The conference was led by Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Prof. Alon Wolf (Conference Chair), Prof. Morel Groper (Organizing Committee Chair), and Prof. Leonid Tartakovsky (Scientific Committee Chair). Representatives from every mechanical engineering department at Israel’s universities and engineering colleges participated. The event was supported by both the Association of Engineers and Architects and Graduates in Technological Sciences in Israel, as well as by leading companies from Israeli industry, including Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel Shipyards, Levental Hybrid, Elbit Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Opening the conference, Prof. Alon Wolf emphasized that artificial intelligence is no longer confined to computer science. He said that the AI “tsunami wave” has reached every branch of engineering, including mechanical engineering, and called on engineers and researchers to preserve human thought, creativity, and judgment in an era increasingly shaped by algorithms and intelligent machines. Prof. Wolf combined René Descartes’ famous statement, “I think, therefore I am,” with Rabbi Akiva’s teaching, “Everything is foreseen, yet free will is given,” arguing that the engineering community’s central challenge is to define the right balance between human reasoning and the capabilities of artificial intelligence.

דיקן הפקולטה פרופ' אלון וולף — Prof. Morel Groper

The keynote lecture was delivered by Technion alumnus Mooly Eden, former Senior Vice President of Intel Corporation, former General Manager of Intel’s Perceptual Computing Group, former President of Intel Israel, former Chief Innovation and Technology Advisor at Bank Hapoalim, and currently an innovation advisor to startup companies. Eden discussed the challenges and opportunities that the AI revolution presents for industry, research, and the education of the next generation of engineers.

One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation of the 2025 International Gold Medal in Tribology to Technion Emeritus Professor Izhak Etsion, one of the world’s leading researchers in friction, wear, and lubrication. In his acceptance speech, Prof. Etsion said that he accepted the honor “with sincere gratitude and with the awareness that scientific achievements are never the work of one person alone.” He dedicated the award to the colleagues, students, and researchers who had accompanied him throughout his career. He also emphasized that tribology influences nearly every aspect of modern life – from energy efficiency and transportation to manufacturing and medicine – even if its contribution often goes unnoticed.

The conference also featured a poster competition with 41 student participants presenting research across the broad range of technological fields represented at the conference. The judging panel was chaired by Yitzhak Hochman, and the prizes were sponsored by the Association of Engineers.