Technology
The finalists for Red Bull Basement University have been announced - and they really are excellent.
Students might not yet be travelling to class by hoverboard or being taught by holograms, but the university of the future is closer than you might think.
Why? The inaugural Red Bull Basement University has just whittled down its finalists. Drawing from 16 countries, 300 universities and over 80,000 votes, the project called on young innovators to improve life on campus by tackling issues head on.
So put on your best socks, because they're going to be knocked off.
Dropper, Italy
Perfect for those who leave studying to the last minute (you know who are you), Dropper is an app that identifies the number of people present and available seats in classrooms, saving users serious time and energy.
Légumes Perchés, Switzerland
The brainiacs behind Légumes Perchés (Perched Vegetables) want to plant fresh food on campus roofs. By optimising these mostly unused spaces the aim is to harvest fresh produce to put in the hands of students who can in turn run markets and more.
Unibot, Bosnia & Herzegovina
A perfect ally if you ever find yourself missing a deadline – or worse, an exam, this chatbot, which works over Facebook Messenger, will allow users to ask questions about specific university courses wherever, whenever.
Mon Miam Responsible, France
Thwarting two problems at once – namely food waste and the limited budget of students to feed themselves – this project seeks to source unsold food from nearby restaurants, redistributing it at a low-cost to students in eco-friendly bags. Win-win.
Application for Interpretation, Ukraine
Devised by deaf computer technology students, this project seeks to establish a two-way communication between deaf students and teachers using a vocabulary of special technique words, even allowing the input new words. Considering how coding can be a language of itself, this could well prove a milestone.
Univote, Germany
Removing the elbow-patched formality normally associated with student elections, Univote is an app that will give students the chance to vote at the click of a smartphone button — not only on student reps but on policies that affect day-to-day campus life.
Hogworts, India
As magic as it sounds, 'Hogworts' is a web platform (no, not 9¾) for university start-ups, helping to source talent, circumvent bureaucracy and arrange mentorship as they grow. Even Mark Zuckerberg needed a bit of help.
Device and Press For Selective Collection, Brazil
Upcycling is all the rage right now. So hats off to this Brazilian collective which wants to build a can pressing machine which students who can use to not only lessen their eco footprint but re-use the material for course projects.
Hetra, Turkey
A digital network able to detect seating capacities across university libraries in real time, Hetra will help students save transportation time and can also be used for addressing wider capacity detection problems such as campus parking areas.
Moistick, Chile
After noticing their own university’s irrigation system was lacking, the team behind Moistick tabled an idea of a monitoring system which would be capable of informing ground staff when and where to water green areas around the campus.
Proximity, Australia
With a simple goal of "giving uni students an easy way to build connections" and "throwing new opportunities" at them each day," this app will empower students through location sharing and real-time news and events.
Module Matcher, Ireland
Module Matcher is a programme that helps students pick the modules best suited to their interests. Packing in course information that university web pages may not, it will decrease the chance of students, a few weeks into their module, realising it is nothing like they expected. What's more, adding a Tripadvisor-style twist, former students can leave reviews.
Class Gap Filler, Japan
Exploiting the time between classes when professors and students tend not to communicate, this app aims to connect both parties in a way which has benefits for both. Professors, for example, could use the manpower for research assistance, while students can use the opportunity to learn more about their chosen subject.
Access to Public Places, Russia
Imagine if Citymapper helped you to connect with friends in real time and also showed nearby bicycle rentals and electric scooter hire options. That's what's being concocted by these Russian geniuses, who say their goal is to “make a convenient, simple and safe platform which would make student lives better." Quite.
Vacant, Canada
Another project that helps students get real time information on available study spaces across campus, this one uses a series of motion-sensitive sensors (fitted underneath desks) to let people see realtime occupancy in classrooms on large LED displays displayed outside those rooms.
Looking for Group, Netherlands
Making friends on campus isn't always easy. In fact, for those introverts among us it can be a right pain in the backside. Which is where this Netherlands-based app could help. It connects people that feel lonely for activities across campus.