Religious women showcase innovative technologies at Jerusalem hackathon | The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com | David Israel | 22 Tammuz 5784 – Sunday, July 28, 2024

Photo Source: Jerusalem College of Technology

An app designed to help locate lost travelers without cell service won first place at the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) 2024 Women’s Hackathon (a tech marathon) earlier this month. The technology was developed by a group of students who participated in the 7th annual “Hack.Her.It” competition organized by the Schreiber LevTech Entrepreneurship Center at JCT.

The 26-hour hackathon attracted 120 female students from JCT’s Tal, Tvuna and Lustig campuses. The participants were students of software engineering, computer science, business administration and industrial engineering and management. They took on technology challenges from well-known companies such as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Elbit Systems, Beit Halochem and BonData. The annual event highlights the importance of empowering religious women to become innovators in the workplace.

“According to the World Health Organization, one of the leading causes of death for travelers is getting lost while exploring unmarked routes or adverse weather,” said team member Michal Miller, a software engineering student at the Tvuna campus of the Haredi Women’s JCT.

The technology, called TrekTag, is a wearable device that is designed to help travelers in remote areas where cell phone coverage is limited, making it difficult for emergency services to locate them if they get lost or injured. TrekTag relies on a sensor that communicates via radio waves embedded in specialized bracelets. These radio waves are not dependent on cell phone coverage and can locate travelers wearing the bracelets, potentially saving countless lives.

Elbit Systems, which challenged and mentored several teams, including those that won first and third place, was thrilled to be involved. “We congratulate the winners of the competition, whom we had the honor of personally accompanying and being impressed by their skills and abilities that they demonstrated in the face of real-world challenges they faced during the hackathon. We are happy and proud to be part of a project that promotes the future technological generation in Israel.”

Other finalists include ModernNet, a team that developed a communications application that relies on an open, autonomous, decentralized mesh network built to run on inexpensive, low-power devices for emergency personnel. Elbit presented the team with the challenge in hopes that their solution would find a way to make location-aware sensors like AirTags accessible in sparsely populated and low-connectivity areas.

Another finalist, Safe Zone, developed secure communications for local emergency response teams to improve their communications network. These civil defense units often lack the advanced equipment available to the IDF, and most of their communications rely on WhatsApp text messages. The group’s app aims to provide secure and reliable communications that also provide real-time movement tracking for members of these local security forces. Knowing the location of each member of these security forces can help combat friendly fire incidents, as they will receive an alert if any member of their team is within ten meters.

Meanwhile, responding to the needs of the growing number of war amputees, the SelfShower team provided a solution for amputees to regain independence related to everyday tasks, such as showering. Since the outbreak of the Iron Swords war, many Israelis have been seriously injured, including losing limbs. Adjusting to the lack of mobility has been a challenge for many soldiers.

Another finalist, WatchOut, worked on a challenge submitted by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and designed technology that uses image processing and motion detection technology to detect falls in older adults.

“It was so inspiring to watch these young women, some of them juggling small children, come up with innovative solutions to very real problems,” said Orlee Guttman, co-founder of the Schreiber Levtech Entrepreneurship Center, noting the balancing act many students at the College face. “We are so proud of the accomplishments of all who participated in this event.”