What is a Better Planet Experiments?

These are short explorations around a meaningful issue. Our team will work with you (free of charge) to research, think of solutions and build a prototype.

Whether the problem is big or small, and whether our answer is practical or playful, the goal is always the same: to improve lives and make our planet just that little bit better.

Why are we doing this?

Big companies shouldn’t be the only ones with access to designers, engineers, and problem solvers. And profit margins shouldn’t always take priority over making a positive impact. Even though some of the toughest challenges aren’t on the agenda of big companies, they still deserve just as much, if not more attention.

After the success and impact of the COVID-19 Decontamination Toolkit, which we developed in early 2020, and its pre-commercial follow-up Sandu UV-C, we decided to dedicate some of our studio’s resources to exploring similar challenges. We are searching for social and environmental problems beyond the COVID crisis that we might be able to help with, using a similar approach.

The process behind a Better Planet Experiment

A Better Planet Experiment consists of a two-week Product Design Sprint by the FROLIC studio team of designers and engineers. We believe in making ideas tangible, quickly - and consider prototyping the best way to visualise and validate those ideas. Possible deliverables could include a proof-of-concept prototype, tech prototype, 3D models and visualisations, and/or a concept video.

The main purpose of a Better Planet Experiment is to equip you with the expertise you need to take the next step in solving your challenge and eventually creating a better planet.

Who is it for?

We are seeking partners working in global development, sustainability, or on inclusivity challenges to join forces in addressing underserved communities and topics. For these experiments, we offer our work pro-bono strictly to organisations that lack the means to afford design and engineering expertise. We are open to partners based anywhere in the world, as long as they are a registered organisation (company, NGO, foundation, etc.).

Application guidelines

Here’s a bit more guidance on what we are searching for:

• Themes that would fit a Better Planet Experiment would also fit under any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Yes, it’s broad!

• The solution should be a product and have a physical component to it. It can have digital elements but we won’t focus on solutions that are purely digital or are tackling grand systematic change.

• We gravitate towards supporting emerging markets/developing countries, though we are open to other challenges for the developed world.

• The project may be published publicly, for the benefit of anyone that is interested.

• Intellectual property will be shared: so each party is entitled to change, adapt or develop the result of the work independently, following the initial two-week experiment.

• If you have further questions, you can reach out to betterplanetexperiments@frolicstudio.com.

Apply now

Please tell us more by filling in the form below. It will take around 10 minutes to complete, and these are the main points you will be sharing with us:

• Details on your organisation, location, the context you operate in, etc.

• A description of the challenge you would like us to help you tackle (max 300 words).

• Any initial thoughts on how to solve it (max 300 words).

• You also have the option to upload any document you think is relevant.

We appreciate you taking the time to apply, and we are so looking forward to hearing from you!

Please note: we are a small team, so we have to be selective and take on projects where we think we can have the most impact. That said, we will assess each application with great care, and if we think we can help, we’ll set up a call to learn more.

Help spread the word

Even if you don’t apply yourself, just passing this on to your network and anybody you think may be interested would be hugely appreciated. Here’s the link: www.frolicstudio.com/better-planet-experiments

Sponsors

We are seeking sponsors to help fund some of these projects. If you are interested in learning more, please email us at betterplanetexperiments@frolicstudio.com.

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