Prototypes for Humanity engaged with thousands of students and professors across 710 universities in 108 countries and within 200 different research fields for its 2023 showcase of product and materials concepts.
With 12 UK and Irish entrants among the 100 projects featured at the competition’s exhibition in Dubai, $100,000 in prizes will be presented to projects across five categories that reflect key priority areas from the COP28 agenda.
The resulting 100 shortlisted projects were developed by graduates from universities including Yale, Stanford, Oxford, Princeton, Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, Cambridge and Bournemouth.
Prototype for Humanity director Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, said: “Among the many complementing faces of social impact, health (including safety and emergency response) emerges unsurprisingly as a key area of concern – and one where technology, science and creativity is being channeled by academic talent from around the world.
“Through our participant’s research, we often encounter problems that are still not sufficiently voiced, and the solutions that offer a glimpse into the future of healthcare.”
Heat and humidity-regulating roof tiles, and a smart badge that helps protect its wearer in the dark are among the university innovations being displayed.
The competition states that the breadth of the solutions on display also reflects Prototypes for Humanity’s growing reach and community at the heart of Dubai’s future-looking ecosystem, signalling a new milestone partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation. The projects carry many of the underlying technologies necessary to achieve the ambitious goals that will be discussed by global leaders a few days later at COP28 in Dubai.
The UK university innovations include:
· Smart badge enhancing nighttime security (eNOugh: University College London, United Kingdom) Designed for easy use during late hours, the badge integrates night vision, GPS, movement detection, an alarm, and AI support.
· Innovative visual aid enhancing focus, inspired by ADHD research (Oasis: University of Limerick, Ireland)
· Carbon capture technology applied to vehicle exhausts (CompCap Tech: The University of Edinburgh)
· Bio-based polyurethanes to replace harmful petrol-plastics (Algreen Ltd: Imperial College London)
· Revolutionising biomass production by turning noise into growth (ALGAEWAVE: Imperial College London, UK)
· Heat and humidity-regulating roof tiles from recycled material [pictured above] (Wastly: Bournemouth University, UK)
During the 2023 programme in Dubai, participating graduates will take part in workshops, round tables and discussions with startup and industry experts, as a first step towards entering a Prototypes for Humanity structured venture-building programme – a new initiative that aims to directly support selected projects to create a viable business model and go to market.
