Solve for X: celebrating moonshot thinking
February 15, 2013
Solve for X (credit: Google)
Last week, Google hosted its 2013 Solve for X event, where they gathered 50 experienced entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists from around the world who are taking on moonshots — proposals that address a huge problem, suggest a radical solution that could work, and use some form of breakthrough technology to make it happen, Megan Smith and Astro Teller, co-hosts/creators of Solve for X, write on Google Official Blog.
There were 18 technology moonshot proposals, which you can watch on SolveforX.com.For example:
- Danielle Fong describes her potentially game changing idea for renewable energy storage.
- Peter Diamandis and Eric Anderson describe their new asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources.
- Flaminia Catteruccia suggests a new approach to stopping the spread of Malaria.
- Keith Black’s proposes to diagnose Alzheimer’s 20 years before any symptoms appear, using a test that could be included in a routine eye exam.
SolveForX.com
Google launched some updated features on SolveForX.com, a forum to encourage and amplify moonshot thinking and collaboration. “We invite innovators everywhere to use SolveForX.com to promote and support one another, and we encourage everyone to join in, bring your passion and ingenuity, and think big,” the organizers say.
- Submit moonshots: Whether it’s an early idea, something you’re already working on, a proposal you’d like to see others work on, or a moonshot idea from someone else that you’d like to promote, we’d like to hear from you — please submit those moonshot videos. Read more about what qualifies as a moonshot.
- Join and declare your X: We’ve added community areas and we hope you will join and create a profile declaring your X. Your “X” is something you are passionate about working on or solving in the world like learning access or robotics or climate change or raising happy kids. You can watch, share and rate moonshots. Search to find moonshot proposals that match your interests and join the innovation conversation.
- Check out even more moonshot ideas: Several new partners have joined Solve for X to amplify moonshot ideas, including X PRIZE, GE FOCUS FORWARD, TED, MIT Technology Review, Singularity University, and ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination. Talks from their events and programs that are aligned with the moonshot ethos (huge problem, radical solution, breakthrough technology) are now cross-linked and hosted on SolveforX.com.
“Our vision for Solve for X is that it becomes a forum where technology-based moonshot thinking is practiced, celebrated and amplified by all of us. We invite you to come collaborate with us at www.SolveforX.com.”
Comments (11)
by TacoSalad
Sounds great! I’m motivated. A few observations:
1) It looks like what TED used to look like before it got so preachy instead of showing off all the neato gadgets and scientific discoveries. I think this approach has merit, as long as it’s genuinely open.
2) What happens to the intellectual property of the average person who posts breakout ideas? I think that’s the first question most people ask when someone else suggests they give away for free the ideas they’ve spent years researching and developing.
3) I’m not seeing a lot of diversity (economic, educational, political, etc) in the presenters. We are not to assume that inspiration and innovation are the sole purview of the highly educated, comfortably well-off liberals. I think that’s an established problem.
Don’t mean to seem overly negative, just have a few (I think) legitimate pause button moments.
by Dr. Richard
Now that is how to use your mind! Love it. I especialy like the Asteroid Mining ideas. All 8 of the precious metals are in abundance out there.
by Ian
I’m not sure that diagnosing Alzheimer’s 20 years early is much use unless they can actually DO something about it. Otherwise you’re basically ruining the last good 20 years of someone’s life by telling them exactly how awful things are going to get for them. Unless they can offer a cure, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to know!
by V.
Stop allergi, it’s increasing drastic.
And psoriasis.
The one that heals the world, would be a hero.
Ray is up their to make it happens, wounder who is gonna be first.
by WLGJR
The name is inspiring, but let’s ask ourselves: why are we not going back to Moon?
The ultimate Moonshot project would be another literal Moonshot. This time with permanent colonies.
If US is not doing it, let China, Russia, India etc do it. This is long overdue.
by Ian Clarke
I hope we see lots more projects like these. I bet there are some truly original thinkers out there whose talent has been, thus far, untapped.
by Walter Baltzley
I have a “moonshot” idea…It is to combines 3D Printing with Micro-Reactors (or bio-reactors) to create a DIGITAL MATTER-NET. The idea is to use micro-reactors to create nano-scale feedstock (3nk) for the printers. This is cool in itself, but it is NETWORKING the two technologies where things get interesting.
The goal is to transport the “3nk” using microscopic capsules (ferries) about the size of a blood cell over a micro-channel network…like the internet…and just like the internet digitized information, this system allows us to fully digitize MANUFACTURING.
I am looking for engineering students and professionals to assist in creating logical designs and prototypes for this technology. If you are interested please visit my blog and contact me at wbaltzley@yahoo.com
by Ralph Dratman
That’s very interesting. It seems to me your project would involve a lot of design work. As an engineer, I would want to use as much pre-existing work as possible. Here that means starting with a well-known “model organism” and altering it to do what you want. For a list of off-the-shelf model organisms, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Model_organisms
by WLGJR
It is interesting that within STEM, it is usually the scientists and mathematicians (barring the more imaginative ones e.g. ones who has parttime jobs as SF writers) who are the pessimists, and the technologicians and engineers who are more bold/optimistic.
I think the quotes from http://www.rinkworks.com/said/predictions.shtml should be memorized by all Singularitarians.
by Gorden Russell
Really enjoyed that link, WLGJR.
by WLGJR
Thank you, Gorden.
It would be great if you can also support Prof Hugo de Garis’s FREE online Math/Physics/ComputerScience courses on Youtube by taking them (just watch the lectures) and help advertise them.
Some of Prof de Garis’s courses is not getting the number of views they deserve, so help spread the word.