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Friday February 18, 2005

Israeli inventor uses ingenuity to prevent catastrophes and cavities

by nicky blackburn
jerusalem post service

jerusalem | Less than two weeks after the Dec. 26 Southeast Asia tsunami, inventor Meir Gitlis submitted a new patent application that he hopes might make life on the earth’s coasts a little more secure.

Gitlis, an Israeli inventor who has developed devices used in a variety of industries, believes his early warning system could save thousands of lives.

The system has a minimum of six floating sensors which measure water velocity, wave height and the time it will take for a wave to reach the shore. When a wave’s speed or height reach tsunami proportions, the sensors transmit an alarm to an electronic control box, which then sends out warnings via traditional channels such as landlines, mobile telephones, beepers or pagers.

“The device can give a real-time warning to every person on the coast, whether they are fishermen, hoteliers or restaurateurs,” says Gitlis. “We can alert train or bus drivers and prevent a disaster.”

Gitlis is already in negotiations with Beeper (owned by Motorola) and is looking for similar joint ventures with other telecom service providers.

This is not the first time that Gitlis, who lives and works at Moshav Bnei Atarot, has turned his attention to creating an early warning system. In 1996, after experiencing an earthquake in the United States and realizing the vulnerability of his own home back in Israel, Gitlis developed a sophisticated sensor that can warn of an earthquake 20 to 40 seconds in advance. Twenty seconds may not sound like much, but Gitlis insists it is long enough to take cover under a desk, stand in a doorway or get out of a small building. Since most injuries in an earthquake occur because of falling masonry, this gives earthquake victims a critical chance to protect themselves.

In addition, the warning system, which was developed and marketed by an Israeli-American company called EQ Technologies, can be customized to turn off gas mains and disconnect electricity grids.

In Israel, the device has been installed in elevators in Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Center. The device halts the elevator at a floor to allow passengers to get off, and keeps the lift there for the duration of the earthquake because it is less damaging to the equipment than if the elevator was moving during a tremor.

Gitlis has been inventing things since he was 10. His first invention was an alarm system for his bedroom, comprised of an old tin can and some wire. His office in a moshav building — surrounded by crates, old tires and rusty motorbikes — is chock-a-block with inventions. There are diamond and gold testers, medical devices and even an electronic canary that can detect the presence of gas, all lovingly displayed on glass shelves. To the uninitiated the inventions look suspiciously like junk.

Over the years, Gitlis, who has big bushy eyebrows, grey hair and is probably in his late 60s (though he says his age is a secret), has developed 130 inventions. He currently works through Avitpus Patents and Innovations, a company he founded in 1999. Avitpus focuses on developing patents by request, and when there is time, the 15 physicists, engineers, software engineers and mechanics he employs also work on in-house developments of their own.

The best hours for inventing, says Gitlis, are between 6 and 8 a.m. “I can do much more in those two hours than I can the rest of the day,” he declares. “My brain is very clear, and I see everything in 3-D.”

He writes down his ideas on an electronic notepad and transfers them to his computer the moment he gets to work. He then passes his ideas to an internal development committee, which discusses the inventions and starts working.

One of Gitlis’ best-known inventions is the GS Intertial sensor, which is used by the Israeli army on the security barrier. Gitlis developed the sophisticated sensor and the electronics to go with it and sold his patent to the Ashdod company, Yehuda Welded Mesh. In turn, they resold the patent to Magal Security Systems, which now sells the fence all over the world.

Gitlis also worked on an escape chute developed by Israeli startup Advanced Evacuation Systems (AES) to help people get out of highrise buildings in the event of a fire, earthquake or terrorist attack. As part of the agreement, Gitlis pledged to be the first to test the chute.

“If I didn’t believe it was secure, then other people wouldn’t,” he says.

One of the most lucrative developments Gitlis has ever made is the Moneytron, which distinguishes automatically between real and forged banknotes. It is now being manufactured by four companies around the world and Avitpus receives royalties.

There are countless other inventions too. Gitlis hands over a thick file and starts to leaf through the pages. There’s a device that concentrates sunlight to create steam, a biometric tester, even an electronic toilet brush with cleaning liquid inside.

There are two inventions that he is particularly proud of. The first is a new electronic toothbrush developed in-house. “My dentist was very impressed,” says Gitlis. “He says it will be a big success all over the world. This toothbrush saves a lot of time and makes brushing about 10 times quicker and more effective.”

Gitlis has written to Colgate-Palmolive to see if the consumer products giant is interested. If not, he will approach other companies.

“We prefer to work with a large company because then we have the possibility of selling it to every corner of the globe.” If none take the bait, Gitlis will develop and market it alone.

The second invention is a kind of personal life raft for people who get stranded at sea. The large bright yellow “raft” is a cross between a suit and a boat. You put it on and can then float in it. The suit is filled with air, and so protects you from hypothermia. A see-through plastic cover allows you to close yourself off from the sea. Food is stored inside, and there is even a paddle to help you move about. As you float, red dye is released into the water to help rescue craft spot you. The suit, which is now at the prototype stage, was the idea of an oceanographer, and the patent was developed by Avitpus.

The company is now expanding, having already opened a branch in the Netherlands, though development work is all carried out in Israel. There are plans to open offices in the United States and Japan, and Gitlis is looking for suitable companies to work with.

As for Gitlis, well, he loves his job. He admits he is always tinkering with bits of machinery.

“My work is my life, and I love it. Most people invent just one or two things. I call them ‘people of one invention.’ They develop one patent and that’s enough. I think it’s boring to work on one idea all your life. It’s much more exciting to make a lot of them.”

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