Month: July 2017

In the coming weeks, the Technion Formula team will compete in two European competitions

The new Technion Formula car was unveiled in advance of two prestigious competitions in Europe, where it will compete against the top ten Student Formula teams from around the world. The Technion team will compete with Formula cars built with the support of leading car companies including BMW, Audi and Porsche, among others. Nevertheless, the team members believe in their ability to record significant achievements in both competitions, which will take place in Germany and Austria. Last year Technion Formula was ranked 82nd (out of 600 teams) worldwide.

This is the fifth year that Team Technion has participated in Student Formula competitions. The new Formula car is a dramatic upgrade of the Technion Formula car that competed in Europe last year. Among other things, the pneumatic transmission system was replaced with an electric transmission system, the weight of the car was reduced from 255 kg to 175 kg and the engine was replaced by a single-cylinder KTM engine. An active suspension system based on accelerometers was installed in the new car.

The Technion Formula car was developed as part of the “New Product Design Project” course led by Dr. Hagai Bamberger under the guidance of Prof. Reuven Katz, Head of the Design, Manufacturing and CAD track at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. This year, around 50 students from 7 different faculties are participating in the project. At the unveiling last week, certificates of merit were awarded to the following student team members – Alain Altari, Or Amsterdam, Yael Haslavsky, Omer Cohen, Tal Lifshitz and Tom Mazor.

Researchers at the Technion, together with theorists from Canada and the Netherlands, have developed an innovative method for predicting the behavior of a molecule in a molecule-surface collision. The method enables the study of basic reaction mechanisms that form the basis of important industrial processes such as hydrogen and ammonia production.

By Lotem Buchbinder

The encounter between two substances is the heart of chemistry, and its outcome depends on the chemical identity of the two substances and other variables, including the velocity of the molecule and the collision angle. Researchers at the Technion’s Schulich Faculty of Chemistry have developed an innovative method for controlling the rotational state of a molecule before it collides with a surface made of a different substance, in order to characterize these states and measure the molecule’s behavior after the collision.

Under the guidance of Prof. Gil Alexandrovich, Dr. Oded Godsi and research students Gefen Corem and Yossi Alkoby have developed a general method for studying the behavior of molecules in molecule-surface collisions. The research group focused on hydrogen molecules that collide with flat and stepped copper surfaces at the same speed, but in different rotational states. The researchers found that when the surface is stepped, the effect of the molecule’s rotational state on the pattern of return from the surface is greater. The system developed and built at the Technion enables full control of the molecule’s rotational state by means of magnetic fields. This system contains a detector that makes it possible to identify the molecules that return from the surface and measure their rotational orientation in space.

In order to provide theoretical backup for the method developed by Prof. Alexandrowicz’s research group, his colleague at the faculty Prof. Tsofar Maniv entered the picture, along with research groups from Canada and the Netherlands. These groups helped analyze the results and develop the theory, in order to provide a theoretical model linking the molecule’s rotational states to the results of the collision.

The method developed represents significant progress in the study of the dynamics of chemical reactions, and Prof. Alexandrowicz plans to expand its use to molecules such as methane and ammonia, which are widely used in industry, and to platinum and iron surfaces. Prof. Alexandrovich estimates that “the development of measurement capabilities, followed by the development of new computation methods, will help the chemical industries in the future. Measurements of basic reaction mechanisms, and an understanding of the factors that influence the outcomes of molecule-surface collisions, are an essential stage in the development of computational models of chemical reactions. In the end, these models will enable control of reaction results by selecting optimal surfaces, thereby increasing the efficiency of various chemical processes.”  

The study was funded by the European Union (ERC grant), the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15357

The research group led by Asst. Prof. Maytal Caspary Toroker from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering deciphered the reason for the success of doping iron for the best catalyst known today for splitting water. The article published in a respected journal in the field of physical chemistry, called Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, reveals for the first time why iron is successful for expedited effective oxidation of water. A deeper understanding of the mechanism of splitting water is expected to lead to the development of additional catalysts that can oxidize water and store energy.

Water splitting is a process in which water are broken down into their components, namely hydrogen and oxygen. It is a process that researchers have been trying to optimize in recent years in order to produce hydrogen fuel which is considered a ‘clean’ fuel that does not pollute the environment. Recently, a particularly good material was found that can speed up the process of water oxidation – a substance called nickel oxyhydroxide and its chemical short is called NiOOH. This material is already used in industry for batteries, but it has recently been discovered that when this material is contaminated / doped with iron then the efficiency is greatly enhanced. Since the discovery, many groups around the world have being using this catalyst for the purpose of splitting water, but the mechanism by which iron is effective has never been explained.

The research group of Asst. Prof. Maytal Caspary Toroker is engaged in theoretical-computational methods for characterizing properties of materials and for finding a correlation between the structure and material functionality. Such methods can decipher why the catalyst composition containing iron has a significant effects on the chemical activity of the material. The group found that iron is able to change easily oxidation states when the iron element is in the catalyst, which is key to the success of the chemical process that mainly depends on the ability of a material to change oxidation states during the reaction.

In 2016 the group published 12 articles, which is considered a significant quantitative achievement, of which a significant portion of the articles involve characterization of the catalyst NiOOH. The article recently published in 2017 in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics was chosen as a cover article and bwill appear on the cover of the next issue of the journal. The article is called “The secret behind the success of doping nickel oxyhydroxide with iron”. 

The Research is supported by the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP) through the Interdisciplinary Energy Graduate Studies Program (supporting Vicky Fidelsky MSc and PhD studies at the Technion).

Source: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/cp/c6cp08590c#!divAbstract

The Israeli delegation to the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad for high school pupils (IChO-49) brought home one silver and two bronze medals. The delegation was selected and trained at the Technion’s Schulich Faculty of Chemistry.

The Israeli delegation to the International Chemistry Olympiad, comprised of four high school students and two mentors from the Technion, returned from Bangkok with a silver and two bronze medals.

The International Olympiad was held this year in Thailand, under the patronage of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Thailand, Chemist Dr. Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who celebrated her 60th birthday on July 4.

Ron Solan, a student of Dina Reines and Omer Horesh at Rishonim High School in Herzliya, won the silver medal.

The bronze medals went to Rina Sevostianov, a student of Michal Kaufman at Makif Gimel High School in Ashdod, and Ophir Shmul, a student of Dr. Guy Ashkenazi at the Israel Arts and Science Academy in Jerusalem. The fourth member of the delegation was Ben Pilarsky, a student of Mirit Kramer at Rabin Comprehensive High School in Kiryat Yam.  

Participants for the annual International Olympiad are selected from thousands of Israelis participating in the Chimiada, the national chemistry competition for high school students. The three winners have already won international Chemistry Olympiads in the past: Solan won a silver medal last year at the International Chemistry Olympiad and a gold medal this year at the Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad, a prestigious competition for participants from all over Asia and Eastern Europe. Sevostianov won a bronze medal at the 2016 International Chemistry Olympiad, and Shmul won a bronze medal at the Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad this year.

All Israeli contestants in international chemistry Olympiads are screened and prepared in a special program held at Technion under the auspices of the Israeli Ministry of Education. The head of the program, Prof. Zeev Gross of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, explains that the impressive achievements of Israeli competitors are the result of extensive preparations in both theoretical and practical aspects. The head instructor of the program, Dr. Izana Nigel-Etinger, carries out this complex activity with the assistance of laboratory engineers Emma Gerts and Gabriele Halevi, and Mira Katz, who is in charge of logistical management. Numerous faculty members and doctoral students – all from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at Technion – also participate in this major effort.

Prof. Robert Grubbs lectured at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry as part of the Apeloig Lectures series and added his signature to the Chemistry Wall of Fame at the Faculty

The Technion Faculty of Chemistry hosted Prof. Robert Grubbs of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). As part of the Apeloig Lectures series, Prof. Grubbs, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2005, lectured to students and faculty members about his research.

The Apeloig Lectures series was founded by the Friends of the Technion in the United States and Canada as a tribute to Prof. Yitzhak Apeloig at the end of his tenure as Technion President in 2009. Prof. Grubbs is the third lecturer in the series, and the two previous lecturers (Roald Hoffman and Jean-Marie Lehn) were also Nobel laureates. Prof. Grubbs met with faculty members and students and dined with 10 outstanding Ph.D. students at the Faculty, who were excited to meet and talk to one of the world’s leading scientists.

Prof. Grubbs won the Nobel Prize for his achievements in the study of the metathesis reaction – a reaction of two organic compounds with double bonds (olefins) which switch their substituents with the help of a catalyst . His unique contribution was the discovery and development of “Grubbs catalysts” – ruthenium-based catalysts that enable the reaction to be easily performed and controlled so that only desired the products are obtained.  

“The metathesis reaction is a great example of the importance of curiosity-driven basic research,” says Prof. Apeloig. “The initial interest in the reaction stemmed from the desire to understand the mechanism in which it takes place, and this understanding has made the reaction highly useful in many reactions in industry, worth billions of dollars. Today, we find compounds synthesized by the metathesis reaction in the medicine cabinet, fuel tanks, innovative plastics, tires, road surfaces and more. In fact, nothing limits the use of this reaction except the imagination.”

In his lecture at the Technion, Prof. Grubbs focused on innovations in the development of new catalysts and on new uses for the metathesis reaction to synthesize innovative polymers and photonic crystals. He added his signature to the Chemistry Wall of Fame at the Faculty, which bears the signatures of Nobel laureates in chemistry and other important chemists who visited the Technion over the years.

Technion and Toronto Researchers Aim to See the Night in a New Light

HAIFA, ISRAEL and TORONTO (July 16, 2017) Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Toronto have developed a technology for producing a new understanding of the nighttime landscape—from the office level to the entire city—based on the flicker of electric lights.

Artificial lighting plays a central role in our lives—in the home, in the office, on the road, and more—and is produced by a variety of lamps that are found in streetlights, offices, searchlights, billboards, computer monitors and more. Light emitted from all lamps connected to the electricity grid is constantly changing, but because of the high speed of this effect, people do not sense this flickering.

In a study to be presented July 22^nd at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), lead researcher Mark Sheinin of the Technion’s Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering, along with Technion Professor Yoav Schechner and Professor Kyros Kutulakos of the University of Toronto will present a new way to produce a great deal of useful information from the flicker patterns of lighted scenes. The approach combines various fields of research, including optics, computer vision, image processing and electrical grid engineering.

The researchers developed a system that extracts information from a passive video (without additional lighting) of the desired scene—office, hallway, even an entire city. The analysis of the information obtained from the photograph concludes, among other things, how the scene would look if some of the bulbs were turned off, amplified or replaced them with a different type of light, which may also help to cancel the reflections from windows. The analysis could help people take “selfies” in a restaurant and digitally eliminate a shadow-casting ceiling bulb, and vary the color and shading in the background.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the flicker across city scale provides valuable information about the electric grid itself, with potential to indicate anomalies in its dynamics. Based on this industrial application, they thus submitted a patent jointly with Technion Professor Yoash Levron.

The reason for the flicker of the light is that electrical networks operate in an alternating current (AC), in which the current of the electrons continuously reverses its direction. In North America, for example, the frequency in the grid is 60 Hz, which means that the electron current changes direction 120 times per second, and that is the rate at which the light flickers. The jitter pattern depends on the type of bulb—fluorescent, mercury, halogen, LED—since each bulb converts the electricity energy to light in a different process; in other words, each type of bulb has a unique time signature.

For photographers, flicker photography is a challenge. On the one hand, identifying the dynamics of flicker requires a very brief exposure. On the other hand, photography at night requires a long exposure to collect enough light to create an image. To solve this discrepancy, the researchers developed a unique electro-optical camera called ACam to sense the flicker of the alternating current. The camera, which is connected to the electricity grid, uses the flicker cycle to capture fast signals from the scene. The camera’s electronic shutter is open the entire time an image is taken, but the scene is only visible to the sensor in the desired time section of each flicker cycle.

The technology has developed a pathway for further research to perform a wide range of tasks, including the controlled illumination of objects, the measurement of three-dimensional objects and their surface texture based on their shadow, and the analysis of the properties of the electrical grid remotely by optical methods.

Srinivas Narasimhan, a professor in the School of Computer Sciences at Carnegie-Mellon University who was not involved with the study, said the ACam paper demonstrates “really innovative work, by measuring a signal that is hidden in plain sight and turning it into useful information. Its applications could include light pollution monitoring, air quality estimation at night, non-line-of-sight imaging, and monitoring power grid output and fluctuations.”

Professor Schechner’s interest in amateur astronomy, and the challenge light pollution poses for city star-gazers, prompted an interest in studying these subtle changes in light. Street lights flicker, so he reasoned “a way to capture the flicker could allow us to make urban night-sky observations, by integrating the brief moments that the light flicker has minimum brightness.”

But the researchers soon discovered that light bulbs don’t all flicker in the same way. “When one bulb reaches a minimum brightness, another bulb might be approaching its own maximum.”

“So the astronomical idea was shelved for the time being,” Professor Schechner added, “but we found great new uncharted territory to explore: the electrical grid.”

The research was supported by the Taub Foundation, the Israel Science Foundation and the German Minerva Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Mitacs Canada-Israel Globalink Innovation Initiative, and DARPA.

Pancake Printer, Smart Luggage, Robotic Breakfast

These are just some of the projects presented by students from Technion’s Computer Science Department at a fair for innovative and creative developments based on Android and IoT programming

The annual student project fair at Technion’s Computer Science Department took place last week. At the fair, students from the Systems and Software Development and Cyber and Information Security laboratories presented their developments. The exhibition included development projects in Android, IoT, and systems related to information security and cyber.

Pancake Printer was developed by Rana Mansur, Ala Sabani, and Muram Awadi. The three students saw a video on the Internet showing how to make pancakes, and decided that 3D printing technology could be of assistance. The result is a system for printing pancakes using a servo motor, 3D printer, and dedicated algorithms. They said, “Besides having to write code we had to cope with the system’s electronic and mechanical challenges, without any of us having a background in the field.” When the projects were presented, the system worked perfectly and provided those present with delicious pancakes in a wide variety of shapes.

 

i-Carry is a smart luggage transportation system developed by Masha Schmidt, Iris Iluz, and Alexander Gemintern. The suitcase moves either according to instructions given via smartphone or according to the hand movements of the user, who wears a dedicated bracelet. The suitcase not only follows the user but also signals its location on the baggage claim conveyor belt at the airport.

BreakFast is a system developed by Omri Kramer, Lior Fish, and Valentin Dashinsky, which automatically makes a breakfast consisting of cereal and a cup of coffee, according to the definitions provided by the user in advance – the type of cereal, type of coffee, amount of milk and sugar, etc. The meal will be ready as soon as the user wakes up in the morning or at any other predefined time. “Since we get up a few minutes before class and don’t have time in the morning, we developed this product that will greet us with a prepared breakfast. It could save time and reduce pressure,” said Dashinsky.

i-Chess is a physical (not virtual) system that plays chess with the user, developed by Yonatan Zaretsky, Ziv Yizhar, and Roi Shachori. It’s a magical chessboard where the pieces move independently. “We were looking for a solution that would not be virtual, and on the other hand it would not require the use of robotic arms to move the pieces,” said Zaretsky. “That’s how we arrived at this solution – a system based on artificial intelligence that moves the pieces by means of electromagnetic fields located underneath the board.”

BraceletMatching is a smart bracelet developed by Yevgeny Longo, Lorraine Ramel, and Nikita Dizhor, enabling its users to meet new people according to criteria. The user enters his data (age, height, gender, hobbies, languages, etc.) and the data he wants in the other person, into a dedicated smartphone app. When two users wearing the bracelet enter a range that also allows for WiFi reception, the bracelet directs them towards each other if they are compatible according to the criteria. According to Longo, “The bracelet can be used for romantic purposes but is also suitable for meeting people at conferences and in crowded places. Inside a building the bracelet uses WiFi transmission and reception alone, but outdoors it also uses GPS.”

Darbuka, developed by Muhammed Ismail, Muhammad Rayyan, and Muad Murad, teaches the user to play the darbuka according to music files downloaded from a computer. The system can either play by itself on the basis of a file that it receives or let the user drum using the app.

i-chant was developed by Sami Abdo, Bashir Khayat, and Ibrahim Balik. This system teaches the user to play the bagpipes using lights that tell him where to place his fingers. The system gives the user grades so that he can improve, and when he no longer needs the help of the lights he is invited to play by heart in order to test himself.

Bialik is a mobile platform that helps novices write poetry. The platform helps Hebrew writers by suggesting rhymes and English writers by suggesting synonyms. In addition, the platform reports the number of words that the user wrote during the week.

Learnguage is a smartphone app that helps the user acquire a new language using existing images or new ones added by the user. The system writes the appropriate word, in the language chosen by the user, for the photographed object.

Other projects presented at the exhibition included Mambo, which helps hearing-impaired people drive; LarMe, a smart anti-theft system; 3D Pong, a Ping-Pong game on a 3D LED cube; Tanks, a multiplayer game with autonomous tanks; Voice maze, a smart car that helps improve the spelling of words; BiPo, a device that monitors attendance in class; SportTime, which keeps track of sporting event schedules and receives notifications regarding delays; TestMe, a virtual study-buddy; Toudly, which creates a spontaneous community of people with a common interest; BookASeat, a system for reserving a seat at the library; UP&GO, an easy-to-use program scheduler; Athenizer, which makes it possible to expand or reduce code in order to make it more understandable; Smart City Accessibility, which checks locations according to their accessibility; and Smart Parking, which finds the best route to a parking spot nearest the user’s destination.

“Every year our students surprise us with their original ideas, which they translate into practical developments,” said Itai Dabran, manager of the Computer Systems and Software Development Laboratory at the Computer Science Department. “This is their first significant experience in coping with complex engineering projects like the ones awaiting them in the industry.”

Project Developed By Students from Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Will Save Police Thousands of Shekels

An exercise system for the elderly, a mechanical piercing system for detonating explosive devices, and a press for attaching industrial gaskets are the winning projects in the annual Product Design Exhibition

An electromechanical piercing system for detonating explosive devices won first place last week at the Product Design Exhibition held by Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The system was developed for the Israel Police Bomb Squad by students Karin Ram, Oren Cohen, and Nimrod Keiddar, under the guidance of Avraham Greenblatt.

The lance system currently used by police to detonate explosive devices and suspicious objects uses expensive electronic bullets. The winning development, a piercing system for a lance, will allow system operators to use mechanical bullets, which are about 80% less expensive and more widely available. The improved system allows operators to choose between mechanical and remote operation.

“Using mechanical bullets will save the police a lot of money,” said Ram, “and we also managed to save a lot on the cost of the system.” Keiddar added, “We developed a cocking knob that activates a mechanical system and included many safety mechanisms.” Following a series of successful experiments, the new system is expected to be put to use in the near future. “The emphasis in the new system is on safety, and the students have saved the police thousands of shekels,” said Aviram Karovi, the police sapper who advised the students. “This is a development unlike any other in the world,” added sapper Noel Naor.

From Idea to Product

The Product Design Exhibition is held annually at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering as part of the New Product Design course led by Dr. Hagay Bamberger under the guidance of Prof. Reuven Katz, who is the head of the Design, Manufacturing, and CAD track at the Faculty. Technion’s Senior Executive Vice President, Prof. Adam Shwartz, said, “Technion is working to promote the development of new ideas. Some of them remain in the form of theories, equations, and lines of code, but some are translated into real products. We are proud of both, but there is no doubt that when something that has been theoretical for years matures to the point of a product that benefits industry and society, it is especially exciting. Here, at the Product Design Exhibition, we see developments that are all beneficial, and we can say with certainty that each one is the best of its kind in the world.”

Students Dor Lavi, Dror Raff, and Denis Bakutin won second place in the design competition for the development of a tool gasket press for Iscar Ltd, under the guidance of Dubi Zuk. The press is designed to help insert a gasket into the designated borehole, which is a part of the manufacturing process of head adapters for milling machines. The advantage of the pneumatic press developed by the team lies in its easy operation and suitability for a variety of different adapters, which differ in size and shape.

Third place went to Tal Weisinger, Shahaf Meidler, and Noa Kohler, who developed an exercise system for wheelchair-bound seniors: a device that attaches to the wheelchair, enabling the user to strengthen his hands and upper body and improve his fine motor skills. According to the student developers, “Elderly people in wheelchairs often suffer from inactivity, among other things, which is sometimes characterized by muscular dystrophy. Exercise systems for the elderly exist but they are expensive, and therefore therapeutic institutions own one such system at most. We have developed an inexpensive, lightweight, and modifiable platform that provides various types of exercise. The idea is to use simple, lightweight, and completely mechanical devices – that is, not dependent on electricity.”

In the course, the team developed two exercise devices – a manual crank for strengthening the upper body and a fine motor skills table – but the idea is to develop a wide range of devices suitable for a wide range of needs and levels of activity. The project supervisor was Kfir Cohen and advice on geriatrics was provided by Prof. Zvi Dwaletsky, Head of the Geriatric Unit at the Rambam Health Care Campus.

Another unique development presented at the fair was a field stretcher developed by students Michael Ada and Roy Atinesh, under the guidance of Dr. Zvi Fruchter, for United Rescue of Israel (Ichud Hatzalah) and with the assistance of Segal Bikes Ltd. “The organization uses volunteers to provide first aid for medical emergencies until an ambulance arrives,” explained Ada. “On many terrains, such as bicycle paths, it is impossible to reach the injured person by car, or else the time required for evacuation is too great. Therefore, we were asked to develop a lightweight stretcher with a carrying mechanism that would make the task easier for medics and would also include a rigid surface to protect the injured person’s spine, for easy and quick evacuation to the means of transportation.”

“We developed a folding stretcher comprised of a surface with carrying beams with a roller attached to it,” added Atinesh. “We manufactured it from aluminum and it now weighs 14 kg. In a future development it will be manufactured from magnesium and its total weight will be about 11 kg, so two medics can carry it on their backs.”

Other developments in the competition were a system for injecting powder into a 3D printer, an underwater microscope illumination system, an electrode sharpening device, an aircraft bolt security diagnostics system, an automation system for assembling plastic parts, and rotational welding machine piping parts. All of these projects were requested by various industrial companies.

Photos: Sharon Tzur, Office of the Spokesperson, the Technion

Scientists from the Technion and Germany have demonstrated the “shape memory” effect in gold particles for the first time

HAIFA, ISRAEL and NEW YORK (July 9, 2017)

Researchers from the Technion and Germany have demonstrated for the first time the phenomena of shape memory and self-healing in gold microparticles. This is achieved through defects-mediated diffusion in the particle.  The discovery may one day lead to development of  micro- and nano-robots capable of self-repair; mechanically stable and damage-tolerant components and devices; and targeted drug delivery.

The study, published in Advanced Science, was conducted by doctoral student Oleg Kovalenko and Dr. Leonid Klinger, led by Prof. Eugen Rabkin of the Technion Department of  Materials Science and Engineering, together with Dr. Christian Brandl of KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany).

Shape-memory materials are characterized by the ability to repair the damage caused to them (such as plastic deformation) and to recover their original shape. These materials can exist in two stable crystalline forms, or phases: austenite, which is the more symmetrical primary form stable at elevated temperatures; and martensite, which is a phase characterized by lower symmetry, but also by greater strength. A well-known example of transition between the two phases is the quenching of steel.

The transformation of the austenite phase to the martensite can be activated by applying mechanical load to the material, or by cooling it down. The low-symmetry structure of the martensite allows the material to absorb considerable plastic strain by re-orienting the distorted crystals of martensite according to the direction of the stress applied to it. Even after plastic deformation, the martensite crystals “remember” their parent austenite phase and are capable of restoring it in its original configuration. This will happen if the material is heated up, causing the reverse martensite-austenite phase transformation and transforming the thermal energy into mechanical energy that will restore the material to its original shape.

Until now, this shape memory effect has only been observed in very few metal alloys such as Nitinol (Ni-Ti). These alloys are characterized by polymorphism – multiplicity of possible stable crystalline phases. This is the first time the phenomenon of shape memory has been demonstrated in sub-micrometer particles of gold. The researchers indented the gold particles with a sharp diamond tip controlled by an atomic force microscope (AFM). Annealing of the indented particles at a temperature of 600°C (about 65% of the absolute melting temperature of gold) resulted in full healing of the damage and recovery of the particles’ original shape prior to deformation.

According to Prof. Rabkin, the discovery of the shape memory effect in these particles is surprising for two reasons: “First, the particles’ original shape was not perfect in terms of energy and thermodynamic equilibrium. Second, gold in its solid state is not characterized by polymorphism.”

To understand the process in depth, the researchers investigated the atomic motion during indentation and heating, using atomistic molecular dynamic computer simulations. They demonstrated that the plastic deformation during the indentation process is mediated by nucleation and glide of dislocation half-loops (the dislocations are linear, one-dimensional defects in the crystal through which it undergoes plastic deformation). The loops which egress at the free surfaces form terraces and ledges on the flat facets of the particle, and these serve as “guide rails” directing the diffusion of gold atoms back to the indented site during high-temperature anneal. Thus the particle recovers its original shape.

Like coffee that returns to the cup all by itself

Both plastic deformation and capillary-driven diffusion are classical examples of thermodynamically irreversible processes. It is remarkable that a combination of two irreversible processes can lead to damage recovery and reversible restoration of a particle shape. To understand how surprising this process is, think of spilled coffee jumping back from the floor into the cup, or a car that recovers its original shape after being totaled in an accident.

Prof. Rabkin says that the discovered self-healing and shape memory effect in metallic nano- and microparticles could be utilized for the design of mechanically stable and damage-tolerant components and devices at the sub-micrometer length scale.

For example, one of the main reasons for the failure of mobile electronic devices (such as tablets and smartphones) is the mechanical wear of electrical contacts. Designing a contact geometry based on the discovered shape memory effect can solve this problem once and for all: electric current flowing through the damaged electrical contact will heat up the contact area, and heat will be utilized to repair the mechanical damage of the contact. Another possible use is the controlled drug delivery to the specific areas of the patient’s body. For this application, the particles capable of recovering their shape at lower temperatures should be designed. A drug can be injected into the cavity on the particle surface produced by indentation, and released after heating.

Technion’s Prof. Jacob Ziv – Recipient of the 2017 EMET Prize

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jacob Ziv of Technion’s Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering is the recipient of the 2017 EMET Prize in the category of Computer and Electronics Engineering. The prize is awarded annually under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Israel. The total amount, $1 million, is divided into five categories of excellence in influential academic or professional achievements that make a significant contribution to society.

Ziv, born in 1931, completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at Technion, followed by a doctorate at MIT (1962). After eight years of research and development – Rafael in Israel and Bell Labs in the US – he joined the Technion faculty. Over the years, he has won prestigious awards including the BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award, Israel Prize in the Exact Sciences, Israel Defense Prize (twice), Marconi International Award, IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, and Claude E. Shannon Award. He has held senior positions including Technion Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Israeli Council for Higher Education, President of the Israel Academy of Sciences, and was a member of leading American and European societies.

He is being awarded the EMET Prize for his groundbreaking contributions to information and communication theory. The Ziv-Lempel algorithm, which he developed together with Prof. Abraham Lempel of Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science, is an algorithm for compressing information that enables lossless compression regardless of the structure of the data and without prior knowledge of its statistical properties. Many of the compression technologies currently used in memory devices, computers, and smartphones were developed based on this algorithm.

According to Ziv, “Computer and electronics engineering is a new category of the EMET Prize. I am very pleased that it has been added and I hope that in the future I will be joined by other winners from Technion.” He continues, “The training that we received at Technion in the exact sciences was excellent. Thanks to that training, I was able to lead the application of transistors at Rafael, a field that was unknown in Israel at the time. In computer and communication engineering research, it is customary to define the mathematical limits of future system performance. The next step is to get as close to these limits as possible by means of software and hardware. In the case of the Ziv-Lempel algorithm, we proved our hypothesis, and the algorithm has become a basic building block in many applications.”

 

Technion – 8th Place in the World in Aerospace Engineering

Shanghai Ranking : Technion ranked among world’s top 50 academic institutions in three areas

Technion has been ranked eighth in the world in aeronautical engineering and among the 50 leading institutions in the world in three areas, according to preliminary data published by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). ARWU publishes the Shanghai Ranking, the leading gauge of the world’s academic institutions.

The complete Shanghai Index is published annually in August, but this year preliminary data was published regarding specific research areas. In this publication, Technion is included in the Top 50 in three areas: 50th place in automation and control, 37th place in electrical engineering and, as 8th place in aerospace engineering – ahead of renowned universities including Stanford, Tokyo, Cambridge, Seoul, Beijing, and Columbia.

In addition, in physics, Technion is the only Israeli institution to have made the list of the top 500 universities, being ranked between 151st and 200th place.

Prof. Jacob Cohen, Dean of Technion’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, responded, “We are very excited and proud of our ranking in eighth place in the Shanghai Ranking, at the top of the world’s leading departments of aeronautical and aerospace engineering. We are part of a long-standing Technion tradition in which the pursuit of excellence is assimilated, examined, assessed, and implemented on an ongoing basis. On this momentous occasion, I would like to thank the founding fathers of the Faculty who outlined the path and the vision, our wonderful faculty, and the students who are our family.”

The Shanghai Ranking, published since 2003, examines academic institutions worldwide according to objective criteria including the number of winners of the Nobel Prize and other prestigious awards; the number of scientific articles published in the leading research journals, Nature and Science; and other performance criteria, weighted in relation to the size of the university.

The last complete Shanghai Ranking was published on August 15, 2016, ranking the Technion in 69th place worldwide and first in Israel.

To the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2017

Algorithm That Changed the Face of Digital Communication Marks 50th Anniversary
Technion marked the jubilee of the Viterbi algorithm at a festive ceremony. The event was held during the TCE Conference, which focused on coding for storage and information systems

Technion marked the 50th anniversary of the Viterbi algorithm, which has changed the face of the digital information world in many different contexts, including voice transmission over phone calls, image and voice transmission in video calls, and Internet and cellular transmission. The algorithm was published by Prof. Andrew Viterbi in 1967, revolutionizing data decoding and optimal noise and interference filtering, and leading to the development of key communications technologies including Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

“I never set out to produce an algorithm which would receive the attention which it has,” wrote Prof. Viterbi to Prof. Ariel Orda, Dean of the Technion’s Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering. “In fact, I was merely trying to prove properties of convolutional codes…I’d stumbled over a golden nugget which others might have ignored because it didn’t look shiny.” Upon publication of the algorithm, Viterbi announced that he was donating it to the benefit of the public and waiving royalties. The algorithm has been adopted and deployed in a variety of applications. Prof. Viterbi later made his fortune with Qualcomm, which he co-founded with Irwin Jacobs.

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said at the ceremony in honor of Viterbi, “Andrew is an outstanding engineer and entrepreneur who has contributed generously to Technion. He has always believed that scientific research is a long path in a dark forest where people find things they were not looking for. I recently read his autobiography and discovered details that I did not know despite our acquaintance of many years. When Andrew was four years old, the Viterbi family was forced to leave Italy because the government had stripped its Jews of civil rights. The family emigrated to the United States, where Andrew completed his elementary and high school studies. In his memoir, he writes about his youth in the United States, ‘We fell through the cracks because Americans considered us to be Italians and Italians considered us Jews.’ His academic career led him to UCLA.”

Prof. Viterbi visited Israel for the first time in 1967, the year the article was published. Here, at Technion’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, he established close friendships with Profs. Jacob Ziv and Abraham Lempel (who later became the developers of the Lempel-Ziv algorithm, which also revolutionized the field of communications) and with Profs. Israel Bar-David and Moshe Zakai. Over the years, his close ties with Technion have found expression in his activities at the American Technion Society (ATS), which awarded him the Albert Einstein Prize; and the establishment of the Andrew and Erna Finci Viterbi Center for Advanced Studies in Computer Technology, Andrew J. and Erna F. Viterbi Chair in Information Systems/Computer Science, Andrew and Erna Finci Viterbi Fellowship Program, and Viterbi Family Foundation Faculty Recruitment Program. His greatest contribution to Technion’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, $50 million, was announced in June 2015 and followed by the naming of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering after him and his wife, Erna.

Prof. Viterbi holds an honorary doctorate degree from Technion. He is a distinguished visiting professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, a member of Technion’s International Board of Governors, and a Guardian, a title reserved for those who have donated particularly large sums to Technion.

The special session marking the anniversary of the development of the algorithm was chaired by Prof. Paul Siegel, a longtime colleague and friend of Prof. Viterbi. Prof. Siegel noted that 1967 was a dramatic year in the world not only because of the Viterbi algorithm, but also because of the Six-Day War, which removed the threat to the State of Israel’s existence, and the release of the Beatles’ album Sergeant Pepper, which revolutionized the music world. He added, “Viterbi is an academic pioneer who became a visionary businessman and ultimately also a philanthropist. We must learn from him.”

The festive event took place at the Technion’s 7th annual TCE Conference. This year, the conference focused on coding for storage and information systems, and included lectures on diverse topics including: coding that enables the reliability of flash memory, reliable storage systems of high speeds and massive volumes, and the challenges of cloud storage and DNA storage.

The conference organizers, Asst. Profs. Eitan Yaakobi (Faculty of Computer Science) and Yuval Cassuto (Faculty of Electrical Engineering) are third-generation experts in coding and information theory. Today, Technion is recognized as a center of excellence in these fields.