LAUNCH: Health

About the Challenge

NASA, USAID, Department of State, and NIKE joined together to host LAUNCH in an effort to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums. LAUNCH searches for visionaries, whose world-class ideas, technologies or programs show great promise for making tangible impacts on society. Through the next Launch series, ten innovators and 40 thought leaders will come together to address an issue that affects every human: health. Sustaining quality of life on Earth and in space requires transformative advances in science and technology, along with new models, policies and behaviors that will guide human development. The search for innovative technology solutions to ensure healthy astronauts orbiting the planet mirrors healthcare challenges faced by providers throughout the world. The same requirements for simple, rugged, ultra portable, low power devices to provide remote diagnostic capability serves dual needs for humans living within the extreme environments on and off the planet. Targeting preventative health measures within the first twenty years of life offers a unique opportunity to change the human condition for this and future generations. LAUNCH seeks innovations that are preventive with a focus on nutrition, exercise, and health care Specifically, LAUNCH is seeking innovations in providing and improving:

• Optimal nutrition (access, choice, and quality of nutritious food and required nutrients)
• Regular participation in physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.
• Participation in primary preventive health care including supporting infrastructure, such as diagnostic and monitoring technology

Challenge Overview

Sustaining quality of life on Earth and in space requires transformative advances in science and technology, along with new models, policies and behaviors that will guide human development. The search for innovative technology solutions to ensure healthy astronauts orbiting the planet mirrors healthcare challenges faced by providers in developing worlds. The same requirements for simple, rugged, ultra portable, low power devices to provide remote diagnostic capability serves dual needs for humans living within the extreme environments on and off the planet. Targeting preventative health measures within the first twenty years of life offers a unique opportunity to change the human condition for this and future generations. The first twenty years of human development are critical to ensuring a more healthy, equitable and productive human population on the planet. In both developed and developing countries adverse conditions during the first twenty years continue to threaten the next generation with unacceptable rates of acute and chronic disease due to infections, poor nutrition and inadequate daily physical activity. LAUNCH seeks innovations that are preventive with a focus on nutrition, exercise, and health care. Specifically, LAUNCH is seeking innovations in providing and improving:

• Optimal nutrition (access, choice, and quality of nutritious food and required nutrients)
• Regular participation in physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices
• Participation in primary preventive health care including supporting infrastructure, such as diagnostic and monitoring technology

NOTE: This is not a search for ideas, but innovative solutions. The ability to implement your innovations will be a key element in selection. Proposals from Solvers who cannot implement their ideas will not be considered.