Jerusalem College of Technology: Seeing Through Smoke, Dust and Darkness, Students Develop Technologies That Could Help Save Lives
Haredi and Orthodox young men and women from the Jerusalem College of Technology earn top honors in a national innovation competition with dual-use technologies designed for defense and lifesaving civilian applications. How can emergency responders assess a dangerous building without entering it? How can technology help navigate environments where smoke, dust or darkness makes visibility nearly impossible? And what if drones could respond to spoken instructions in fast-moving emergencies?
Three teams of students from the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT; Machon Lev) have developed innovative solutions to these challenges, demonstrating the potential of dual-use technologies — innovations developed for defense purposes that can also serve critical civilian needs, including emergency response, search-and-rescue operations and disaster relief.
The students accounted for three of the six finalist teams and won two of the three awards in Israel’s B.U.I.L.D. competition, competing alongside students from leading institutions including the Technion, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Ariel University.
Held in cooperation with Israel’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (MAFAT) and the Sandbox initiative, the competition challenged participants to translate complex technological problems into working prototypes with practical applications.
VailSight, one of the winning teams, developed a system designed to help users understand their surroundings when conventional cameras are limited by smoke, fog, dust or darkness. Combining thermal and conventional cameras, radar, motion sensors and digital maps, the technology uses locally processed artificial intelligence to create a more comprehensive picture of an environment.
ClariPhi, another winning team, developed technology combining radar, optical components and mathematical processing to improve three-dimensional mapping of physical spaces. During development, the students conducted measurements from the roof of a six-story building late at night, repeating experiments and refining their approach until they successfully demonstrated their concept.
VoxNav, the third JCT finalist, developed a system combining voice commands with real-time audio and visual processing, enabling drones to interpret spoken instructions while gathering information about their surroundings. Led by 20-year-old software engineering student Nurit Ezra, the team aims to make drone operation more intuitive in situations requiring rapid decisions.
All three technologies remain in development and will continue advancing through JCT’s Schreiber LevTech Entrepreneurship Center accelerator program, where students will receive support in refining their innovations and exploring potential applications.
Beyond their technological achievements, the students’ success highlights the importance of expanding access to advanced engineering education and professional opportunities across Israeli society, particularly within the country’s growing Haredi population. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, Haredim could account for approximately 24.4% of Israel’s population by 2050. Yet employment among Haredi men remains significantly below that of non-Haredi Jewish men, underscoring the economic importance of creating additional pathways into high-skilled professions.
JCT enrolls approximately 4,500 students, around 45% of whom are Haredi, alongside Modern Orthodox students. Its student body includes individuals from Israel and 38 other countries. The institution educates approximately 12% of the women studying computer science and engineering in Israel, helping prepare a diverse generation of engineers and technology professionals.
Through its Schreiber LevTech Entrepreneurship Center, JCT connects students with industry mentors, companies and real-world technological challenges, providing practical experience and opportunities to transform academic knowledge into working innovations.
“These students are demonstrating what becomes possible when talented young people are given the education, resources and opportunities to turn their ideas into meaningful innovations,” said Orlee Guttman, Vice President of Partnerships and Advancement at JCT. “Israel’s future depends on our ability to cultivate engineering talent across all sectors of society. At JCT, we see firsthand how investing in the next generation of engineers can open doors for students, strengthen our economy and produce technologies that address some of the most pressing challenges facing Israel and the world. These achievements are a powerful example of the impact that investment can have.”
Guttman will be visiting several U.S. cities throughout November to discuss JCT’s work in developing Israel’s next generation of engineers, expanding educational opportunities and advancing technologies with the potential to benefit society.
For the students behind VailSight, ClariPhi and VoxNav, the competition represents an important milestone in their development. Their achievements illustrate how investing in engineering education and emerging talent can strengthen Israel’s innovation ecosystem while producing technologies with the potential to save lives.
