Yulia Karra
January 19, Updated January 27

A unique open-space laser communication system recently won first place at the ninth annual Jerusalem College of Technology’s (JCT) tech hackathon.

The “Great Minds Hackathon” was organized by the JCT’s Schreiber LevTech Entrepreneurship Center to develop innovative solutions for global challenges.

It brought together 122 Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox male students from Israel and other countries, including the United States, Britain, Chile and South Africa.

The winning system, developed by Team Optinet, is intended for high-speed data transfer during large gatherings, such as music festivals, where cellular towers are often overwhelmed by user demand.

Optinet found the solution by devising a mesh network connected to blimps that would provide supplemental Wi-Fi in addition to the cellular towers.

The team was led by US citizen Matan Yisrael Bergenfeld, and his Israeli team members: Eitan Klein, Noam Solo, Daniel Maoz, Asaf Klar and Elisha Salab.

Bergenfeld said he was “happy to participate in a competition like this where all of our hard work goes from something theoretical you learn in a classroom to something that’s practical and useful for everyday life.”

Religious students hack techs to solve global challenges
Team Optinet won first place at the JCT Great Minds Hackathon. Photo courtesy of JCT

The second-place prize was clinched by Team Mosaic, which created a wiretap analysis platform to aid law enforcement in identifying money-laundering patterns. Several members of this team have won the hackathon in the past.

Religious students hack techs to solve global challenges
Team Mosaic won second place at the JCT Great Minds Hackathon. Photo courtesy of JCT

Third place went to ResQDoc, a team that included a student from Siberia. The students devised a voice-powered data-collection app for first responders. They can talk into it using real-time voice-to-text technology, thereby streamlining the process of recording patient information during emergencies, saving valuable time and improving efficiency.

A team of international students, under the umbrella of Sunflower Technologies, won the prize for best presentation.

The team developed a handheld device that can be connected to a solar panel and transfer energy it collects from the sun into its battery. With a simple flick of a switch, the mechanism allows a solar panel to identify light and tell the user where the sun is at its most powerful, ensuring the quickest and most efficient charge.

Orlee Guttman, cofounder of the Schreiber LevTech Entrepreneurship Center, said: “The hackathon provides the students with an invaluable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in product development, collaborate with industry professionals, and address real-world challenges.

“We actively encourage our students to leverage the resources of our center to continue refining their projects, bringing their ideas to market, and creating solutions that can help countless people.”

Women design shower for amputees

JCT’s women’s campus also sponsored a hackathon in early December.

Some 120 Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox female JCT students tackled complex technological challenges presented by leading Israeli companies and organizations, including Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems.

Religious students hack techs to solve global challenges
Jerusalem College of Technology’s December 2024 hackathon for women attracted 120 participants seeking to solve real technological challenges. Photo courtesy of JCT

The winning idea was a voice-controlled shower system to help amputees regain independence in their daily routines. Guttman explained that this challenge was presented by Beit Halochem Jerusalem, the Tzahal Disabled Veterans Organization. Many soldiers in the ongoing war have lost limbs.

“Beyond the daily physical challenges, amputees often struggle with a devastating loss of independence, particularly young people who suddenly find themselves dependent on others,” said Shirel Babazada, a business administration student at JCT and one of the project’s developers. “Our mission was to restore independence during intimate daily moments, with showering being a prime example.”

The idea is for the system to respond to voice commands controlling water pressure, temperature, soap and shampoo dispensing, and allow for sending emergency alerts. It can also include an adjustable shower head mechanism controlled through specialized software. The students will continue to develop their product in the EDGE pre-accelerator program at Schreiber LevTech.

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