Finalists selected in Global ‘Wearables for Good’ Design Challenge to Transform Children’s Lives – ARM, UNICEF & frog
#WearablesForGood design challenge set by UNICEF, ARM and frog
attracts 250 entries from 46 countries across the world
LONDON & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–New wearable technologies, including a malaria alert bracelet for
infants, a water purification band, and an ear-worn pneumonia monitor,
are among the 10 ideas selected for the final stage of the Wearables for
Good design challenge. Launched in May 2015 by partners UNICEF, ARM and
frog, the objective was to create the most globally inclusive design
competition ever. Less than three months later, teams and individuals
from 46 countries, covering six continents, had entered with 250 design
ideas submitted to the judges.
The 10 shortlisted teams consist of innovative designers, engineers and
technologists who have all created remarkable new wearable and
sensor-based devices capable of helping the world’s most vulnerable
people. This is a departure from the current mainstream wearables
market, which is mainly focused on lifestyle devices for the developed
world. The Wearables for Good design challenge expands that focus,
showing how wearables can save lives by tackling maternal and child
health issues in the most difficult physical and energy-constrained
environments.
The finalists’ design ideas address issues including health, the
availability of potable water, sanitation and hygiene, and child
protection. The teams will now move into the next phase of the
competition where they will attempt to turn their concepts into working
prototypes.
The completed projects will be submitted in October, with the two
winners announced in November at a tech event in Helsinki, Finland and ARM
TechCon (Santa Clara, US). The winners will each receive a prize of
$15,000, along with incubation and mentoring from UNICEF, ARM and frog.
The finalists are:
-
CommunicAID, U.S: a bracelet that tracks
medication treatment -
Droplet, U.S: a wrist-worn wearable water
purification device -
Guard Band, Vietnam: a wristband that
helps protect children from abuse -
Khushi Baby, India and U.S: a
necklace-type wearable to track child immunization in the first two
years of life -
Raksh, India: a device worn in the ear to
track a child’s respiration rate, heart rate, body temperature and
relative breath humidity designed by a team of university students -
Soapen, India and U.S.: an interactive
crayon-like device that encourages hand washing among young children -
Telescrypts, East Africa and U.S: a
wearable device to take patients’ vitals and send the data to health
care workers -
TermoTell, Nigeria and U.S: a bracelet
used to monitor and analyze a child’s temperature in real-time in
order to save the lives of children at risk of malaria -
Totem Open Health Patch, Netherlands: a
small sensor-based device that is part of a wider Totem Open Health
system for wearable health technology -
WAAA!, U.K.: A sensor-based neonatal
health surveillance tool.
Erica Kochi, co-lead and co-founder of UNICEF Innovation said: “The
ideas from the 10 finalists demonstrate how wearable technology can be
applied in resource-constrained environments, creating viable business
opportunities for the technology sector in developing markets. We’re
excited to review the finalists’ refined ideas over the coming months to
pick two that have the potential to improve the lives of women and
children at a national or global scale.”
Simon Segars, CEO, ARM said: “We launched a technology competition and
we have ended up with 10 ideas that could all save the lives of millions
of vulnerable children. It shows there is a wealth of untapped expertise
and ideas out there for new wearable devices that can fulfil a wholly
different purpose than is associated with them now.”
Denise Gershbein, Executive Creative Director, frog said: “As we kick
off this next phase of the challenge, our goal is to not only help
develop impactful design solutions, but to catalyze a conversation
around the actual definition of wearables and the idea of social impact.
Wearables are no longer just devices we wear on our bodies to measure
our heart rate or count our steps. What really makes them ‘tick’ is when
they are embedded within the context of entire networks, generating
significant sustainable social impact. We are excited to help the 10
finalists navigate this challenge and, in turn, rally the global
community to explore greater use case potential for wearables and sensor
technology.”
During this next stage of the challenge the finalists will receive
coaching from a number of experts within the field to help them turn
their design ideas into working prototypes.
Ends
About the finalists:
Please visit the Wearables
for Good Challenge website for profiles on each of the finalists.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything
we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and
territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing
special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to
the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about
UNICEF visit: www.unicef.org.
Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/unicef)
and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/unicef).
Unicef Innovation is an interdisciplinary team of individuals around the
world tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling technologies and
practices that strengthen UNICEF’s work. We build and scale innovations
that improve children’s lives around the world. For more information
about UNICEF’s work in innovation, visit: www.unicef.org/innovation
and www.unicefstories.org.
Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/unicefinnovate).
About ARM
ARM (LSE:ARM, NASDAQ:ARMH.US) is at the heart of the world’s most
advanced digital products. Our technology enables the creation of new
markets and transformation of industries and society. We design
scalable, energy-efficient processors and related technologies to
deliver the intelligence in applications ranging from sensors to
servers, including smartphones, tablets, enterprise infrastructure and
the Internet of Things.
Our innovative technology is licensed by ARM Partners who have shipped
more than 60 billion System on Chip (SoCs) containing our intellectual
property since the company began in 1990. Together with our Connected
Community, we are breaking down barriers to innovation for developers,
designers and engineers, ensuring a fast, reliable route to market for
leading electronics companies. Learn more and join the conversation at http://community.arm.com
About frog
frog is a global design and strategy firm. We transform
businesses at scale by creating systems of brand, product and service
that deliver a distinctly better experience. We strive to touch hearts
and move markets. Our passion is to transform ideas into realities. We
partner with clients to anticipate the future, evolve organizations and
advance the human experience.
San Francisco . Seattle . Austin . New York . Boston . London .
Amsterdam . Milan . Munich . Singapore . Shanghai
Contacts
Contacts:
Vicky Gashe
+ 44 20 7375 6120/ +44 7785 468987
Senior
Media & Communications Manager, UNICEF
vickyg@unicef.org.uk
or
Dana
Zucker
+1 973 462 3855
Communications Lead: UNICEF Innovation
dzucker@unicef.org
or
Kate
Donovan
+ 1 212 326 7452/+ 1 917 378 2128
UNICEF Media
kdonovan@unicef.org
or
Andy
Winstanley
+44 1223 405244/ +44 7788 249712
Director of
Corporate PR, ARM
andy.winstanley@arm.com
or
Kyra
Cyphers
+646 747 7165
Communications contact: frog
Kcyphers@kwittken.com
