If you ask us, one of the best ways to ensure a safer, healthier future is by inspiring future generations to care deeply about each other and the planet upon which we live. So, when our founder Sam Youdal was asked to participate as a mentor in this year’s Invent For The Planet event, hosted by Texas A&M University Engineering, he couldn’t say no. 

In fact, as a former student of Texas A&M University, Sam was honored and thrilled to be invited to guide several groups of bright minds through the program with two very important goals in mind (more on that below). 

About Texas A&M’s IFTP

Invent For The Planet (IFTP) is a yearly event (first introduced in 2018) that brings together university students from across the globe in an effort to address relevant topics and challenges faced by humanity. This year, more than 350 students from 24 universities across 15 countries participated in Texas A&M’s Invent For The Planet. Working together, students generated immeasurable creative problem-solving, innovation, and exploration directed towards some of humanity’s greatest needs. 

Teams are grouped based on common interest, and after getting to know each other, dive into research and a plan to create a simple prototype solution. Then, teams put together a video and presentation to share their ideas and prototypes with a panel of judges. From each local event, three teams are selected as winning finalists, and first place teams move on to the final round. 

Once those first place teams are narrowed down to a final six following virtual presentations, those six teams travel to Texas A&M University to pitch their refined ideas against each other. One team is chosen as the overall winner. You can learn more about the event, how it works, and explore 2022 results here. 

Several teams from previous versions of this event have gone on to form startup companies built to address the very challenges they identified during Invent For The Planet, resulting in several innovative concepts being brought to life in an effort to change the world. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of events like this one that encourage and cultivate ideation and innovation.

The Importance of Fostering Creative Thinking + Innovation in Engineering

When bright, young, and beautifully inexperienced minds get together to solve problems, their lack of experience ends up being their superpower. While many participants had rich backgrounds, internships, and relevant experience, they weren’t overly familiar with what was or wasn’t possible. 

This fresh perspective allows young minds to approach problems in new and unique ways, often resulting in totally unexpected and downright brilliant solutions to age-old challenges. Because they hadn’t spent years being told ‘no,’ getting rejected, or being asked to do things on a smaller budget, like many of today’s older, more experienced workforce, they saw these challenges through fresh eyes. Instead of shutting down ideas that others might have seen as too expensive, ambitious, or difficult, they pursued them with a vengeance unmatched by most of this planet’s politicians, leaders, and problem solvers. 

Prometheus believes that, especially when it comes to engineering topics and related social issues, nurturing these bright, young minds is the best way we can begin to make the world a better place. Participating in events like IFTP allows us to invest in our future through mentorship, encouragement, and hands-on support. 

Team DisPlace finds out they are the first-place winners for the first phase of Texas A&M University’s Invent for the Planet 2023. | Image: Jesus A. Reina/Texas A&M Engineering

Our 2023 Challenges

Prometheus was lucky enough to have three teams representing our challenges in the finals this year. One team tackled the challenge of temporary housing in a post-disaster environment, and the other two finalist teams addressed setting up expedient communications after a major disaster. We view these as two of the most pressing issues within and beyond the disaster response space, and we were thrilled that the students not only chose these challenges but ultimately offered such inspiring solutions. 

You can find a more detailed explanation and some background on these specific issues (as well as our third challenge, 3D Mapping) in this resource center article. Here’s a brief overview of the teams who took on two of the three challenges we designed and some details on their specific solutions: 

• Texas A&M University, USA: Temporary Housing | Team Displace developed a modular transportable housing design to aid families in natural disasters. Following catastrophic events – like Haiti’s 2010 earthquake – there’s a consistent need for temporary housing that accommodates AND supports the needs of displaced people. Most options are expensive, logistically challenging, or lack functionality. 

• New Mexico State University, USA: Communication | Team B.A.M.N. created a balloon-actualized mesh network system that helps aid communication in the event of life-threatening disasters. When disaster strikes and many communication methods fail (including cell towers, internet, or satellites), those hardest hit need to be able to have more options to immediately set up effective communication between citizens, rescue teams, organizations, and governments.

• Mahidol University, Thailand: Communication | Team Disasterisk Spot created an emergency infrastructure communication that restores communications to areas with no signal immediately after life-threatening disasters. Unfortunately, most cell phone or communication technologies aren’t reliable enough after a disaster and the situation often calls for a more expedient approach.

All the teams did an excellent job selecting the topics that they were passionate about and which would best showcase their talents. By selecting these relevant topics, students spent their time researching options, brainstorming innovative solutions, investing in prototypes, and presenting their prototypes and solutions to the IFTP judges. 

Watch the Live Stream of Presentations:

The Results: April 20, 2023

On April 20, 2023, all the finalist teams flew to College Station, Texas and presented their solutions to the IFTP panel of judges. 

First place went to Swansea University in Wales. Their team, Team H2Grow, stood out among their competition in creating a multi-way filtration system that relies on reverse osmosis technology to clean contaminated water to usable water. Their prototype and presentation was very strong, and they are on schedule to complete an engineering proof of concept shortly.

Second place went to Texas A&M University at Qatar. Their team, Team Eco-Energizers, designed a concept called SolarPath which is a self-healing technology with high-impact concentrators that repair any micro-cracks that are found in solar panels. This technology can potentially allow solar panels to remain operational for 25-30 years.

Third place went to Habib University in Pakistan. Their team, Team FinDiesel presented a very unique concept of employing strategies to harvest fish waste to create bio-fuel. This fuel can then potentially be used by the local communities, and would offset a large percentage of the costs that fishermen are currently facing.

Where Do We Go From Here? 

As we continue to recognize and celebrate the brilliant ideas that resulted from this year’s Invent For The Planet, it’s important to consider that without events like this one, innovation slows down. But, by creating a space for students and creative thinkers to come together, challenge each other, and think critically about the future of our planet and society, we’re contributing to a brighter and better tomorrow for all. 

Prometheus is proud to support students, universities, and events like these in an effort to cultivate effective solutions to our biggest crises, thought provoking questions about the state of our world, and teamwork among minds who have the ability to change the world.