Wrapping up its “Launching People – Mixed Talents” campaign in Latin America, Samsung Electronics held a creativity marathon from May 11 to May 12 in Mexico City to encourage the region’s youth to work for the democratization of access to information. The campaign aimed to encourage Millennials to propose solutions to improve the digital inclusion of children in Latin America.

The creativity marathon, entitled “Interaction for Action,” was held over a period of 15 hours, and saw teams of 60 participants—including educators, developers, programmers and NGO leaders—interact to create a solution that allows children to more easily access communication technologies. The team with the most inventive proposal received a monetary reward for their idea.

Obtaining access to technology and information, such as navigating Wrapping up its “Launching People – Mixed Talents” campaign in Latin America, Samsung Electronics held a creativity marathon from May 11 to May 12 in Mexico City to encourage the region’s youth to work for the democratization of access to information. The campaign aimed to encourage Millennials to propose solutions to improve the digital inclusion of children in Latin America.

The creativity marathon, entitled “Interaction for Action,” was held over a period of 15 hours, and saw teams of 60 participants—including educators, developers, programmers and NGO leaders—interact to create a solution that allows children to more easily access communication technologies. The team with the most inventive proposal received a monetary reward for their idea.

the Internet or utilizing smartphone applications, might be effortless for many around the world, but is still unfeasible for about half of Latin America’s population, according to a survey by Datanalisis.

This lack of access interferes directly in the educational and economic progress of Latin countries. In fact, 61 percent of Latin youth agree that the scarcity of access to technology can be a challenge and an obstacle to gaining an education.

“That’s why we chose digital inclusion as a theme for the campaign ‘Launching People – Mixed Talents’ in Latin America,” explains Mario Laffitte, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Samsung Latin America. “We conducted this campaign to motivate young people to interact in search of creative and innovative ideas and to show that Samsung technology can be used in a meaningful way, when combined with the thoughts and ideas of young people.”

Despite existing challenges, the majority of Millennials, the cohort of 18- to 29-year-olds that represents approximately a quarter of the world’s population, want and believe they can make a difference in their countries.

The “Mixed Talents” campaign in Latin America, which was held in Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile in the latter part of 2015 to the first half of this year, has demonstrated that this powerful group of young people does in fact have the power to make a change. The initiative has also demonstrated that Samsung’s technology can be used in a meaningful way, when combined with Millennials’ ideas, like the ones presented at the creativity marathon.

“We are certain that our campaign helped to awaken the social interest of young people,” notes Laffitte. “With this, we plant a seed. From now on, there is a huge potential to alleviate the current situation.”

As Samsung’s 2015 Launching People campaign comes to an end, it is certain that future initiatives will continue to help individuals use technology to realize their dreams and reach their full potential. Launching People will also continue to bring to light creative and innovative ideas that illustrate how powerful technology can be when it comes to solving society’s biggest challenges.

From Left: Samsung Tab S2, Samsung Gear S2, Samsung Galaxy S6, brainBAND

Samsung Electronics Australia has announced the creation of brainBAND, an innovative piece of wearable technology designed to facilitate research into concussion in sports. brainBAND is the work of Dr. Alan Pearce and Braden Wilson.

The prototype has been developed through Samsung’s Launching People program, an initiative that brings together two experts from different backgrounds to demonstrate how technology can investigate and help solve real challenges facing society.

Dr. Alan Pearce, a neuroscientist heavily involved in concussion research and education, and Braden Wilson, an industrial designer, worked with Samsung on the program. Together, they created a wearable technology prototype that can track impacts to the head in contact sports in real-time, with the aim to use this data to better understand concussion in sport and the ongoing impact on the brain.

Concussion is a growing societal issue in Australia with most incidences going unreported as symptoms are hard to see. Unlike traditional head gear designed to protect the head in contact sports, brainBAND is designed to gather information regarding an impact in real-time – a first in Australia.

Philip Newton, CMO, Samsung Electronics Australia commented on the program: “At Samsung, we have a strong belief in pushing the boundaries of technology and challenging the current perception of what is possible through innovation.

“This is why we are extremely proud to have helped facilitate the work of Dr. Alan Pearce and Braden Wilson to create the brainBAND prototype to aid research into concussion in sport.”

How It Works

In the prototype, a specially designed headband houses sensors at the back of the head that measure the force of an impact. This information would then be relayed via an app to medics, referees and coaches, all in real-time through the use of Samsung devices.

A series of LED lights embedded in the headband indicate the level of impact of a hit: yellow, orange and red for high alert, meaning a player should be taken off the field for assessment.

All impact data will be recorded and logged so that, over time, players could obtain a more complete picture of the forces their brain has been put under.

Dr. Alan Pearce, neuroscientist and expert on concussion said: “The ultimate goal is that by understanding the dangers of repeated concussions, brainBAND may help prevent life changing injuries at every level of the game, and protect the next generation of players.”

Released today, the final episode in an eight part content series curated by Leo Burnett highlights the results achieved throughout the initiative by putting the prototype to the test on the sporting field. The video can be viewed here.

Australian football sensation and Samsung brand ambassador, Israel Folau, who was the first to trial the prototype, stated, “I think it’d be great if every player in Australia had access to this kind of technology to make contact sports safer for current and future generations.”

The collaboration with Samsung Australia has inspired Dr. Alan Pearce and Braden Wilson to continue their research and development, utilising the data learned through the Mixed Talents campaign.

Follow the journey of Dr. Alan Pearce and Braden Wilson through concept to prototype, with all eight episodes published via the website (www.samsung.com.au/launchingpeople) and continue the conversation on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #MixedTalents