2012 Intel Global Challenge at UC Berkeley
Participating Teams

Applikable UniApp, Jordan

Info: www.applikabletech.com / info@applikabletech.com / Twitter: @ApplikableTech

UniApp is a web-to-mobile smartphone application that is tailored per university and designed to be a one-stop-shop for university students to access their academic information and engage with their university via smartphone devices. As an HTML application, UniApp operates on all trending smartphone applications, including IOS, BlackBerry, Android, Windows, and Nokia devices. UniApp offers a wide-range of academic and non-academic features that help in improving student-university engagement, student efficiency, and social networking for over 7 million students across 300 Arab universities.  UniApp’s unique business model includes adding value for students through a symbolic fee as little as USD $3. It also offers corporations unprecedented access to the youth market by providing opportunities for advertising, with no cost to universities. UniApp’s socially conscious approach also incorporates a scholarship program for promising underprivileged youth at every subscribing university.

Avetics, Singapore

Info: www.avetics.com / team@avetics.com

A range of industries, including everything from governments and search-and-rescue operations to agricultural, mining and forestry companies, can benefit from access to high-resolution aerial maps. However, instant remote sensing via satellites is expensive, as well as unreliable when cloud cover blocks the view. To address this issue, Avetics has developed a remote sensing mini-UAV (unmanned autonomous vehicle) called the Falcon. This foam-based mini-plane includes a camera unit, as well as a computerized control board that not only enables autonomous flight, but cues the camera to take a series of shots. These photos are then stitched together to produce accurate aerial maps that offer 10 times higher resolution than maps currently available on Google Earth. Avetics also operates a mapserver to store high resolution images, and plans to partner with software developers to develop image analytics solutions. Currently, the company is targeting Southeast Asia due to rapid development in the region.

Black Silicon Solar, Denmark

Info: www.blacksiliconsolar.com / hjalmar@blacksiliconsolar.com

Black Silicon Solar develops manufacturing solutions that substantially reduce the cost of producing solar panels. By using nanotechnology, the company has been able to inexpensively produce solar cells that are significantly better at absorbing light than other options currently on the market. What’s more, this improvement requires that solar manufacturers replace just one piece of equipment in their production process to take advantage of this optimization. Because of increased efficiency and reduced waste, this change can help financially-pressured solar panel manufacturers double their gross profit margins. Environmental impact is also reduced by up to 75 percent compared to current manufacturing technologies.

Biosyntia™, Denmark

Info: www.biosyntia.com / jens.riis.andersen@gmail.com

Today, most chemicals are manufactured by chemical, oil-dependent processes. Biotechnological fermentation offers a sustainable and cost-competitive alternative. However, game-changing technologies are needed for efficient bio-based solutions. Biosyntia™ offers high-performance cell factories for fermentation of fine chemicals used by manufacturing companies, enabling them to cut production costs by up to 80 percent, while gaining a significantly greener profile. High-performance cell factories are developed by applying a cutting-edge, enzyme-screening technology called RIBOSELECT™. This technology outperforms current state-of-the-art methods with significantly accelerated speed, much wider screening range, and a screening basis founded entirely on enzyme function, versus traditional homology screening.  By utilizing natural biocatalyst sources, Biosyntia plans to drive the petro-chemical industry toward a greener future.

Chifco, Tunisia

Info: www.chifco.com / Twitter: @Mactun / Facebook: www.facebook.com/chifco

Designed for the energy sector, the InnerJ Box from Chifco is a customer engagement platform that reinvents the way utilities, telecommunications companies, and facility managers interact with customers. From the quality of information to the way this material is presented and delivered, this system vastly improves the customer experience by making data more relevant and personal. As a result of the new approach, consumers can learn to use energy more efficiently, ultimately saving money on utility bills. The InnerJ Box captures the complex relationships among devices, premises, customer accounts, users, applications, networks, and services that must be managed by any Smart Grid. Using real-time information and an automated process, the InnerJ platform acts as the central nervous system to drive Smart Grid Management.

ColOff®, Brazil

Info: www.coloff.com.br / eliezer@coloff.com.br / Twitter: @coloffbrasil / Facebook – coloff ind

To improve the process of detecting diseases such as colon cancer, ColOff® offers an easy-to-use, inexpensive and reliable tool to aid in the collection of stool and urine samples. Made from sterile, oxy-biodegradable material, ColOff is an innovative health care tool that improves the collection process for patients, allowing them to more easily acquire a clean sample so that there is less risk of contamination. This leads to more accurate and reliable test results and diagnoses, which leads to speedier treatment and better outcomes for patients. With more than 75 million stool tests and 100 million urine tests administered in Brazil each year, 150 million stool tests and 200 million urine tests conducted in the U.S., and three to five billion examinations worldwide, the marketing of ColOff holds great potential. Target markets include public and private health organizations, as well as retailers.

Dreambender, Indonesia

Info: http://dreambendr.com / endry@rocketmail.com / Facebook: www.facebook.com/dreambenders 
Twitter: @dreambender 

According to World Health Organization statistics, there are an estimated 364 million deaf people worldwide. A great number of these individuals, as well as their family members and service providers, have an interest in learning sign language which can improve communication and enable the deaf to lead more independent, productive, and satisfying lives. While many people across the globe turn to books, cards, or small classes to learn sign language, there are often differences in the material and quality of instruction, since there are no international standards. Further, sign language is one of the hardest languages to learn because it involves gestures, body language, and facial expressions. To address the need for a standardized, easy-to-use method of sign language instruction, Dreambender has developed Isara, an ICT-based sign language learning system. This program provides interactive, real-time learning through the use of Kinect as a motion sensor, which allows users to practice gestures based on video examples until they have mastered them. Additionally, the system allows users to connect and interact with each other online, offering them the chance to practice and improve retention of new learning. Finally, the content is open, meaning that program resources can be improved and supplemented with contributions from users.

Edintity, Saudi Arabia

Info: www.edintity.com / turki.fahad.sa@gmail.com / Twitter: @TurkiFahad

Edintity is a platform to help individuals and representatives of companies become experts on topics of interest and leaders in their fields by connecting social content from all of the social networks they use. For example, via social networking, Edintity can help connect and guide a photographer who wants to become more successful in his industry. Edintity can also help connect people with similar interests, such as photography, through social content.

Greenway Grameen Infra, India

Info: www.grameeninfra.com / neha@grameeninfra.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenwaygrameeninfra

In India and elsewhere around the globe, indoor open fires and traditional mud stoves are still commonly used for cooking by nearly 3 billion people, leading to more than 2 million premature deaths annually. The practice also negatively impacts both the environment and the economy. To address this problem, Greenway Grameen Infra (GGI) creates efficient, biomass-based cooking solutions. Its flagship product, the Greenway Smart Stove, incorporates a unique air-flow generator to provide clean and efficient combustion, saving up to 65 percent of fuel and resulting in a 70 percent reduction in smoke. GGI piloted the stove in communities across five states in India and commercially launched the product in December 2011. Sales have already topped 12,000 units through rural retail outlets since then, and distribution is expanding. Additionally, the company is adding two new stove designs and a waste heat-to-electricity converter to its product line.

Imagga, Bulgaria

Info: www.imagga.com / info@imagga.com / Facebook: www.facebook.com/imagga / Twitter: @imagga

Because of the vast and growing number of images stored in the cloud, it can be nearly impossible to find, tag, and organize images in public or private collections. To solve this problem, Imagga has developed a platform capable of automated large-scale image analysis in the cloud. This three-layer platform includes core image understanding technologies, business-to-business Web services, and online and mobile business-to-consumer tools. The company’s first business-to-customer tool was launched late in 2010, and already has more than 1,300 paying customers. In 2011, the company began offering image analysis and visual search technology on a service basis to image-intensive companies looking to better and faster organize their image collections and provide a more intuitive user experience for their customers. To date, more than 12 million images have been processed via the platform.

InErPharm, Russia

Info: www.insiderpharm.com / info@insiderpharm.com / Twitter: @InsidErPharm

For many of the 60 million people suffering from cancer worldwide, chemotherapy is an inevitable aspect of the treatment process. However, chemotherapeutic drugs have numerous negative side effects, including hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and hematological changes. Some side effects can even be life-threatening.  To address this critical issue, InErPharm has developed a device called CytoDel, which delivers the highly toxic chemical compounds found in chemotherapeutic drugs directly into red blood cells, which also reduces side effects.  The device works by removing a patient’s venous blood, separating red blood cells from plasma, delivering a dose directly into the red blood cells, and then transferring the medicated red blood cells back into the blood stream.  The patient is thus spared the jolt of a sudden, high dose of toxic medicine, which can damage blood vessels and heart tissues. The process diminishes spikes in dosage as well as the number of injections, and as a result, the Cytodel treatment has a lower cardiotoxicity than the widely used chemotherapeutic procedure of intravenous injection.  Target consumers for this product include oncologic dispensaries, oncological research institutes, and medical centers with chemotherapeutic departments. The device is also capable of delivering a large variety of different drugs, so potential uses are virtually limitless.

Intellievents, United States

Info: www.intellievents.com / mark@intellievents.com

To enhance the experience of attending live events such as concerts and football games, and to help the sponsors of these events improve the way they reach and serve their customers, Intellievents has developed a mobile app that provides a forum for the exchange of information in real time. In some cases, it can even mean an immediate boost in the experience for consumers. For example, if a concertgoer is unhappy with her seats and wonders if an upgrade is available, she can find out right away. If a sports fan misses an important play while grabbing a snack or searching for a bathroom, he can access pertinent details or a replay immediately. If a coed doesn’t know his cousin is attending the same event in a crowded stadium, they can find out and connect to share the experience together. Additionally, event organizers and marketers can use a web-based dashboard to collect data which can not only help them improve customer satisfaction, but find more effective ways to reach potential customers and grow business.

Inventive Power, Mexico

Info: www.inventivepower.com.mx / contacto@inventivepower.com.mx /
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/inventivepower / Twitter: @inventivepower

Inventive Power provides solar concentration technology capable of heating water, generating steam, and producing hot air to dry wet objects for a lower cost than using gas, diesel or fuel oil for the same processes. The technology, Power Trough 110, is a parabolic trough solar concentrator which generates thermal energy between 60 to 200 degrees Celsius, ideal for process heat generation. The modular system – with a life expectancy of 20 years – can be easily installed on rooftops, with remote monitoring to guarantee correct operation. The technology offers greater efficiencies compared to other solar collectors and generates more thermal energy per unit area. Customers can purchase the systems with no upfront cost investment through leasing programs, and realize 15 to 30 percent energy cost savings in the first month of installation alone.

IRSee, Denmark

Info: IRSeeDenmark@gmail.com

Light has different wavelengths, but only a narrow part of the spectrum is visible to the human eye. IRSee is a technology platform which enables visualization of “invisible” infrared light. The IRSee product is a small system that can be easily attached to an ordinary, visible light camera, and tuned to display chemicals or materials in a specific wavelength range. This technology could be used in cancer diagnostics to distinguish cancerous tissue from healthy tissue or to provide remote detection of gases, among other uses. This technology is already well developed, with prototypes, patents, trial use, and paying customers. IRSee estimates revenue of USD 20 million in four to five years.

iSkyTracker, Russia

Info: www.iSkyTracker.com / maxim.shuralev@gmail.com

iSkyTracker is an automatic satellite TV and Internet system which offers consumers anywhere-anytime connectivity, even if that anywhere is a car, a train, a yacht, or an ocean liner. The system provides automatic searches for telecommunication satellites and the establishment of single or multiple connections to those satellites without the need for specialist intervention. iSkyTracker automatically tracks the connection to the satellite when the system is in motion (as with traveling on a highway or across an ocean) and when non-geostationary satellites are moving in the sky. Additionally, the unit itself is a compact, “slim” box that is only 1.5 inches high, while measuring 19 by 19 inches across, allowing it to be easily mounted on/into the roof of a car or in other compact spaces. Finally, the unit is significantly less expensive than competitive solutions.

LinkSmart, India

Info: http://www.linksmart.in

Many businesses suffer losses due to “internal threats”  such as security breaches, leakage of confidential data, and pilferage by employees, to name a few. Often, these events are not publicized so that the business can avoid bad publicity. As a result, loss continues to occur. To counter this, LinkSmart Technologies has invented smartDNA, a single-point labeling solution which provides both tamper evidence and anti-counterfeiting features. smartDNA labels are manufactured to incorporate more than 300 billion signatures. The core invention lies in acquisition of a unique credential for each and every label. The credential then automatically changes on use, reuse or removal, allowing for precise tracking of items and information. The smart labels are in-line scanned with purpose-built scanning solutions ranging from high-speed conveyor-based industrial scanners to smartphone/PDA-based mobile scanners, integrated with cloud monitoring services. smartDNA solutions enable enterprises in industries like high-value logistics, document storage, and high-value asset vaulting to offer the very best security to their customers, as well as to realize new opportunities in terms of premium, value-added services. Unification of smartDNA security with tracking technologies like barcodes, QR-codes, and RFID provide manufacturers complete supply-chain-through-point-of-sale visibility through cloud-based remote monitoring.

Nanoly Bioscience, United States

Info: www.nanoly.info / team@nanoly.info / Twitter: @nanolyb

Last year, more than 20 million children worldwide did not receive routine immunizations, and nearly two million people died from preventable diseases. One of the reasons that vaccines are not administered in certain locales is that vaccines are temperature sensitive and must be kept cold until use. Nanoly is developing a novel and safe polymer shield to protect and stabilize vaccines in order to eliminate the refrigeration requirement throughout the supply chain. Stabilized vaccines can be easily shipped virtually anywhere in the world, including hard to reach areas that have the most need, making a positive impact on a global scale.

Neo-Impetus, China

Info: nicomaterial@gmail.com / Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NICO-Material/116818121806364

The NICO Material Company works to deliver breakthroughs in the nickel industry using nickel powder with a range of evolutionary nanotechnologies for various uses in domestic and world lead levels.  Among the company’s most promising projects are products dubbed NICO 1, NICO 2, and NICO 3. NICO 1 advances the hardness and abrasion resistance of hard alloys developed by manufacturers, speeding up the industrial process and lowering production costs. NICO 2 provides novel stealth materials and efficient accelerants for the military and aerospace industries. NICO 3 offers an innovative and pollution-free energy solution for companies making NiMH batteries. Patented products are already in production and have been positively reviewed by several organizations.

PragmaCraft, Turkey

Info: www.pragmacraft.com / info@pragmacraft.com / Twitter: @PragmaCraft

With the advent of the Internet, the world’s information more than doubles every two years. Those who work to find pertinent information for their field of business or study are gradually being exposed to too much information. Failing to manage information overload can lead to decreased productivity and poor decisions. To combat this, PragmaCraft has developed a solution: Intelligent Search Assistant (ISA). This software allows users to ask questions in layman’s terms – a.k.a. plain English – via the search engine. ISA conducts deep semantic analysis to find the answers to any question posed, so that the user does not have to read each and every page. PragmaCraft has not simply created another search engine; ISA offers a search enhancement layer which merges both semantic search and ubiquitous search engines.

RoboLex, Philippines

Info: lo.daniellemarie@gmail.com

Every year, more than 15 million people worldwide suffer from stroke. For those who survive, the effects are often devastating. Many are permanently disabled, unable to walk due to loss of muscle control and motor skills. The outcome can be better for those who engage in physical therapy before muscles severely contract, but physical therapy is often expensive and difficult. To support a patient’s weight as he tries to regain mobility in a lower limb, it can take as many as three therapists. To address this issue, RoboLex – short for Robotic Leg Exoskeleton – offers rehabilitation exercises for patients through the use of a single-legged, computer-controlled exoskeleton. The device includes a support system that sufficiently lifts a patient’s body weight and provides balance assistance so that the patient can engage in physical therapy. By automating this work, the need for multiple therapists is eliminated and the strain for a single therapist is greatly reduced. In testing, RoboLex has received positive reviews from physicians and physical therapists, who believe the device can lead to faster recovery times for patients.

Shams, Egypt

Info: mohamed.khalil@nileu.edu.eg

To address the need for efficient, clean energy sources, Shams created a new design for a non-tracking CPV solar energy generator which is smaller, cheaper, and offers other advantages over current options. Shams solar technology reduces solar capital costs by an average of 30 percent, which makes solar energy more competitive with conventional energy sources.

SmartSwitch, France

Info: lebedev.gor@gmail.com

Designed with the “smart home” concept in mind, the SmartSwitch is a wireless, battery-less light switch powered by body heat. No flipping a switch, no pushing a button; just touch the device and the light turns on. This soon-to-be-patented technology is easy to install via wireless technology. It is extremely reliable, as the switch does not require any maintenance. Additionally, the product is eco-friendly as there are no batteries which pose environmental issues.

SurfDog, Brazil

Info: www.surfdog-wp.com / board@surfdog-wp.com

In Brazil, Internet banking scams result in a loss of USD $5,000 per incident, while the average global banking loss per client per year is estimated at USD $10. To reduce losses such as these due to scams and fraud, SurfDog develops IT security products for consumers who may not have much computer experience or who have a lesser degree of security awareness. The SurfDog Web Protection solution provides anti-phishing protection for Internet banking users, while also providing necessary information for financial institutions. The security platform includes two important components. The first is client software which actively prevents users from disclosing their security credentials to scam Web sites, prevents machine cloning through a unique ID, thus eliminating offline attacks, and disables potentially risky Internet banking operations (such as wire transfers of large amounts). The second component is server-side software which serves as an analytic tool, allowing for real-time identification, classification, blocking, and active defense against phishing Web sites. Additionally, the server-side software allows for identification of user devices, which serves as a complimentary ID check for legitimate transactions.

Sustainable Agriculture Solutions (SAS), Colombia

Info: http://www.sagriso.com/ / contact@sagriso.com

With the world population nearing seven billion people and estimated to grow to nine billion by 2040, farmers will have to produce 70 percent more crop yield to ensure that there is enough food to eat. With only seven percent of cultivated land left to plant (without destroying the rainforests), farmers need to find ways to produce more on existing farmland, particularly in developing countries which have 76 percent of cropland, but produce only a fraction of the yield of developed countries. To address this urgent need, Sustainable Agriculture Solutions (SAS) provides expert farming solutions that make efficient use of available resources and guarantee the long-term viability of food production. The first of their product line is an enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF) designed to deliver the right nutrients in the right place, at the right time, and at the right rate. Using patented nanotechnology, the SAS EEF increases efficiency 40 percent over traditional fertilizers and boosts productivity by at least seven percent. Due to more efficient use of nutrients, farms benefit from increased productivity and cost savings with more yield per acre. Additionally, post-harvested products have less chemical residue, and the environment benefits due to reduced GHG emissions.

Tactile Vision, Russia

Info: s2001@list.ru

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 39 million people are blind, while 246 million have “low vision.” To help these sight-impaired people, the founders at Tactile Vision developed a sophisticated technology to help them “tactually see” the world. Designed to be worn as a headband or belt, Tactile Vision includes a tactile matrix, a microprocessor, a depth sensor, and a battery. As a blind person moves around, the device provides information about surrounding objects, including distance calculations, through the matrix of tactile elements contacting the skin. The closer the object, the faster the tactile elements of the corresponding area affect the skin. A “voice” system also provides information by means of a sound, as an image is captured by a camera and converted to an audio signal which the user can hear through headphones. Unlike competitive devices, Tactile Vision estimates distances to objects. It can also be connected to a remote operator to aid with object recognition and navigation.  The product will be marketed through sales, as well as subscription.

Talkways, China

Info: www.talkways.com / info@talkways.com

With the evolution of technology and the development of a truly global marketplace, the demand for second language acquisition has soared. Chinese students who want to attend university in the United States often look for English tutors. American businessmen who want to do business in Asia may want to learn to speak Mandarin or Japanese. To address this need, Talkways offers an online platform where people seeking to learn any language can connect with mentors to engage in conversations or correspondence via the internet. Additionally, Talkways offers social networking capabilities, allowing participants to meet people from around the globe and form lasting connections. Those who wish to serve as tutors register through the site, as do those seeking language instruction, and Talkways makes the connections. Tutors set their own fees, which users pay in advance of tutoring sessions; Talkways earns profit by collecting 10 percent of these fees. The arrangement is beneficial to tutors – often college students – because they can earn more tutoring than working in typical part-time jobs, and beneficial to those seeking to learn languages, as tutoring is often less expensive than formal language acquisition programs in many countries.

Treebos, Brazil

Info: www.treebos.com / murilo@treebos.com

When a small group of friends banded together to share a farm and plant some fruit trees, a big idea was grown. If they could work together to create an orchard and harvest its bounty as a collective, why couldn’t they offer this same experience to others? As a result, Treebos.com was born. The idea was to offer farm shares to other people unable 2o afford a farm on their own and give them the chance to participate in the entire process from seed to table. The program, which is administered online via treebos.com, allows people to produce food via a “fractional investment model” where each customer pays a monthly fee and then accesses the site to choose where to plant and what food to produce. These virtual farmers may choose to grow fruit or nuts from trees, vegetables from the garden, or fish from the hatchery. They are then able to participate in the entire food chain of production until harvest, when the bounty is harvested and shared. Additionally, the company has created additional revenue by offering advertisers the opportunity to reach their market via the treebos.com site.

Tri-F, China

Info: gwangpeng@gmail.com
Currently, when surgeons evaluate patients undergoing liver surgery, pre-operative analyses include semi-quantitative data regarding liver function and imaging generated by two-dimensional ultrasounds or CT/MRI scans. These limited methods make it difficult for surgeons to determine such important factors as the precise location of a lesion, as well as the relationship to adjacent structures such as blood vessels. Consequently, clinical experience is often enlisted to grasp the appropriate liver resection range, the surgical method and the cutting planes. For some complex liver resection cases, exploratory laparotomy is essential to determine a surgical plan.  Tri-F’s new Computer-Assisted Liver Surgery Planning System offers three-dimensional imaging which allows doctors to create anatomical diagrams with definite boundaries of hepatic segments, calculate the functional areas governed by vessels, and chart the position of a lesion, as well as its relation to adjacent vasculature, accurately. This enables surgeons to better plan for surgeries and more efficiently treat patients, which translates to better outcomes. To get their product into the market, Tri-F offers both product and installation to hospitals for free, offering paid use of the system thereafter.