The Stanford Center on Longevity today announced eight Finalists for its 2017-18 Design Challenge “Promoting Lifelong Healthy Habits through Design.”  Now in its fifth year, the Challenge’s primary goal is to encourage a new generation of designers to become engaged in finding creative solutions that support well-being across the life span. The Challenge is open to student submissions from any accredited university worldwide. This year’s competition attracted submissions from 74 teams representing 18 countries across the globe.

“We are very pleased that the Stanford Longevity Challenge has again drawn engagement from students representing a wide spectrum of disciplines and geographies, all motivated to use their talents to create designs that help people of all ages and abilities to lead longer and healthier lives.” said Ken Smith, Director of the Challenge.

Teams will be awarded $1000 to develop their designs further and will travel to Stanford for the Finals, scheduled for April 17^th.  They will compete for a $10,000 first prize and present their designs to companies and investors.

This year’s finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Boomerango – Brunel University (London) – A home saliva testing device which detects and monitors users’ vitamin levels on a daily basis to encourage healthy eating.

Folks Kitchenware for the Blind – National University of Singapore – Kitchenware designed with an array of tactile cues to empower the blind to cook with confidence and dignity.

Gather – San Francisco State University – A portable workbench and rest device that helps to

facilitate community gardening for all ages and abilities, promoting social engagement for a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Gesturecise – Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati – An AI-enabled desktop application which detects body gestures and uses exercises as a screen unlock device, building physical activity into the workday.

Jowalk – National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan) – A platform matching retirees to busy dog owners to help walk the dogs and trigger lasting connections in their communities.

Posture Master – University of Pennsylvania /Washington and Lee University – A personalized, adaptive learning app that uses advanced facial and body recognition technology to monitor posture during workstation (computer) use in real-time and suggest corrections.

Ride Rite – Virginia Tech University – A bicycle handlebar and digital interface that promotes a safe biking experience and practices for a broad range of individuals.

Seven Bridges – San Francisco State University – A platform connecting youth volunteers to seniors via mutual interests and providing help with Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s)

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About the Challenge
The Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge is a global competition aimed at encouraging students to design products and services to improve the lives of people across all ages. Established in 2013, the Challenge is focused on ways to motivate and empower people in their daily lives both inside their homes and in their community.

The challenge is made possible by generous sponsorship from a number of companies and foundations, including Halbert Hargrove, Target, Lixil, The Davis Phinney Foundation, Eskaton, and Home Care Assistance,