Israeli Annual Omnidesk Design Convention Took Place Yesterday

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An example to begin with: A fighting platoon crosses the border into enemy territory, on its way to a special operation. Every warrior carries one water canteen, two at the most. The incursion into enemy territory will last for a while, and there’s no way to supply the unit with more water. The soldiers can’t use local water sources, in case of pollution or deliberate poisoning.

One of the warriors carries a device on his back, attached like a regular backpack, a small, mobile water purifier. The soldier puts a small pump into any water source, no matter how polluted, and within minutes the device on his back supplies pure, refreshing water to his unit members. Inside the device there’s a filtering system based on reversed osmosis technologies. The device is currently in use in the IDF, the U.S. Army and the Mexican armed forces.

The “Spring” was developed by Watergem, an Israeli company based in Rishon Lezion, which specializes in water purification for military and civilian uses. The company displayed its product in the annual CAD (computer assisted design) convention organized by Omnitech and Autodesk, focusing on design and engineering. Autodesk is a leading international company in design, engineering and entertainment, with tens of millions of clients worldwide, while Omnitech is Autodesk’s representative in Israel. Watergem’s Spring was designed using Omnitech software, as were other advanced products displayed yesterday in the Avenue compound at Airport City:

A prototype for an advanced, off-road racing car designed mainly for desert environments. The car was designed in Israel by Erez Avramov, the Yama company and Eyal Kremer, using Autodesk software tools. It’s a ton lighter than most similar vehicles, with a very high maximum speed and amazing off-road capabilities.

The Caesarea-based Aran company specializes in the industrial design of civilian and military products, including tank components. The company presented a handle for a Rafael command and control unit, composed of advanced nylon materials and currently being tested by the South Korean army.

The Ram company from Park Afek at Rosh Ha’ayin presented a new digital documentation system: A 3D laser scanner which produces precise digital schematics of objects. The scanner can be used to design bridges, pipe and cable systems, or the preservation processes of old structures.

The NetApp company offers advanced, central information storage systems for organizations, including physical and cyber protection against random deletion or malicious software.

IHLS – Israel Homeland Security

If you’re not an engineer or a designer you can still enjoy the Homestyler app by the Autodesk R&D center in Israel. The users can – using their tablet or smart phone – design new or old apartments: Move furniture, test new cupboards, demolish or build walls, design book shelves and hang pictures, choose colors for wallpapers and carpets, and even design their own personal vases. All through the application.

Steve Blum, Senior VP of Global Autodesk, participated in the convention and presented the company’s vision: “Helping people design and create a better world.” 7,000 company employees work hard to make that true, creating design and engineering apps for more than 120 million non-professional clients and for 12 million professionals. One of the company’s 14 R&D centers is located in Israel (at the Tel Aviv Port), and the VP praised the local innovation and talent, including those exhibited by the start-up companies which Autodest acquires. Blum gave an example: The Israeli Hydrospin, developed by a local start-up company. This small generator is installed in water pipes, using water pressure and currents to produce electricity that can be used by devices in the vicinity.

Udi Weintraub, Omnitech CEO, said that 20,000 Israelis use the company’s products, and the global potential for their use in design is huge and rising constantly.

Yonatan Sarusi, director of the Israeli Autodesk development center, said that the company acquires a local start-up company every year. Among the new, innovative applications: An engineering app that can be used by engineers on-site, using their smart phones; applications for architects and engineers that even include official municipal forms, in addition to information management and design error prevention.

A new solution for parking problems in large, crowded cities is now in its first design stages: A vehicle that can reduce its size when parking, and enlarge itself to its original size when leaving. Sounds crazy? The schematics are already there.