REDX: Rethinking Engineering Design Execution

REDX Platform

REDX brings together technical experts, innovators, researching institutions, implementation partners and corporate partners that will allow us to solve the most pressing challenges within our communities. 

REDX labs and clubs serve as gateways to the energy and creativity of innovators who are creating solutions to satisfy significant social needs.

In collaboration with experts from several research centers, bright young innovators from all regions around the world have the opportunity to work closely with corporate executives, academics from institutions of higher learning, government officials and experienced mentors. This empowers them to imagine and develop solutions that can solve major problems affecting citizens in resource-constrained areas and situations.

There are REDX Labs and REDX AI Clubs on almost every continent around the world.

Emerging Worlds Event in India this January 24 to 29

MIT scientists and collaborators are hosting workshops in January 2017 in India -- to SPOT problems and PROBE solutions with invited experts, scientists and change makers. We will explore billion dollar problems for citizens and communities in emerging worlds -- including farmers, merchants, women and crowds -- in several areas to improve billions of lives: 

1. AI and the Data Revolution

2. Imaging for Social Good

3. Personal Identity and Low Cost Wearables

4. Maps and Geo-centric Tech

5. Machine Learning for Digital Health

Learn more HERE

REDX Labs

REDX labs are mentored directly by Ramesh Raskar, Associate Professor at the MIT Media Lab. REDX labs provide innovation space and funding to support innovators.

The REDX philosophy has influenced various initiatives across the world, including: 

MIT Emerging Worlds SIG (special interest group) at the MIT Media Lab. This innovation platform is organized around solving major challenges, empowering citizens, and impacting billions of people with new methods and devices, using the most modern technology. mitemergingworlds.com

REDX WeSchool at the Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool) in Mumbai is developing novel and innovative citizen-based technologies in various domains including (but not limited to) health technology, urban development, waste management and financial inclusion; that supports wide-ranging needs of urban populations and corporations. The innovations are affordable, can scale quickly and easily, and are applicable globally. The REDX Mumbai lab was established in May 2015.
redxmumbai.com

LVP MITra, in Hyderabad, India is enabling affordable vision for all. The LVP-MITra innovation lab is hosted at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI). Medical professionals from major health centers including LVPEI and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston provide mentorship and guidance. The focus is on building and deploying the next generation of screening, diagnostic and therapeutic tools to enable all to see.
lvpmitra.com/

DISQ, in Nashik, India is empowering smart citizens. The DISQ Center (Digital Impact Square), a TCS Foundation (Tata Consultancy Services) initiative, opened in March 2016, with a focus on digital solutions to address pressing challenges in education and skills, financial and personal security, housing and transportation, food and agriculture, energy, water and environment, health and hygiene, citizen empowerment and transparency.
digitalimpactsquare.com/

Kumbhathon, in Nashik, India. In 2015 the first solutions were successfully launched at the Kumbh Mela festival when 30 million visitors came to the city of Nashik. It was the safest major festival in India on record..
kumbha.org

Setting up a REDX AI Club: 5 Steps

The onboarding process to become a REDX AI club includes appointing a core team, senior board and an academic advisor, establishing a community coalition, and recruiting innovators and mentors. A successful application demonstrates that you and your founding members are organized, dedicated, creative, responsible, and passionate about finding solutions to problems that can impact billions of lives.

If accepted, your club will receive an official REDX AI Club license, funding, and enrollment in a 10-week course. Upon completion of the 10-week course, Clubs receive certification directly from Ramesh Raskar, Associate Professor at the MIT Media Lab.

(1)  Create a core team

• You need at least 3 people to come together and take on the roles of Coordinator, Treasurer and Webmaster. You can also add other roles. These core team members will coordinate most of the REDX AI Club’s meetings, activities, projects, speakers, and other Club functions.

(2)  Confirm a REDX AI Club Advisor

• The advisor is typically a faculty member, institute leader or a scientist. At academic institutes, this person is responsible for leading negotiations within the institution and faculty and acting as an academic advisor, according to university rules, as well as with outside institutions.

(3)  Designate Space

• You will need a conference room or classroom space to host the weekly spot-probe discussions. You will also need internet connectivity plus a video screen to watch online content. Upload photos of these facilities along with your submission form..

(4)  Populate Calendar

• Each Spot-Probe cycle lasts 10 weeks, 2 hours per week. Select your weekly slot, start date and end date,

(5) Assemble a REDX AI Club Senior Board

• This group of approximately five to ten leaders are responsible for selecting projects, Your team should include people with diverse skills and interests -- including skills in engineering, IT, business and design. In the beginning, your Club may not have many material resources available. As a result, your Board’s most important resource will be the contacts you can convene: people you know with skills, expertise, materials, facilities, and other resources that will help you put your ideas into action.

REDX peer-to-peer invention pathways

REDX AI clubs emphasize on the peer-to-peer invention process, so it is critical to build a great peer network.

(1) Plan REDX AI Club Build-a-thon - like a barn raising

• Big event that gets the community involved - talent magnet for people and ideas.

• Launch Party. The goals of this event are to build connections with other students and organizations, to establish your REDX AI Club as a major presence in your school or community, and to draw large numbers of applicants to your Club. Using your club’s connections and network, you can hold a big event for hundreds of people from such different sectors of society as business, research institutions, government, civic organizations, and industry. These people will benefit your project and provide necessary resources for your club in the future. Typically, a launch party will have a host, several speakers from different professions, REDX AI club members, and audience from society. The whole party should not take longer than four hours. It is recommended to start the event in the afternoon and end before 9 PM.  

• REDX AI clubs should be familiar with the SPOT PROBE GROW LAUNCH platform. This is the path that we take to identify problems to pursue, and to progress from idea to proof of concept to prototype to solution to impact. Typically, a first event will uncover and articulate challenges that innovators can pursue.

• Look Local, Think Global: REDX AI Clubs are encouraged to draw inspiration from current issues in their communities to provide perspectives that outsiders might not be able to bring. An ideal proposal of a project should not only focus on its original problem, but also have practical implications on a broader perspective.

• Look Before You Leap: Make sure your REDX AI Club team is capable of carrying out the project you plan before you bite off more than you can chew. Just because an idea is good doesn’t mean that it is feasible. Be ambitious, but make sure your projects won’t be unrealistically challenging, time-consuming, or expensive for your Club and team members.

• Work Smarter, Not Harder: In a university environment, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of brilliant people involved in groundbreaking work potentially related to your project. Take advantage of them!  These projects can tie in closely with work that people are already doing on class assignments, senior theses, dissertations, Ph.D. research, anything you can think of!

(2) Spend 10 weeks training and developing the ideas

• Peer to peer inventing You will employ a four phase process each week, (i) Resource mapping (ii) Problem Canvas (iii) Solution Canvas and (iv) Findings map. They involve field work, brainstorming, online course materials, self-training.and working with partners and stakeholders.

• Videos/Multimedia During the 10-week session, it is important to keep absorbing new ideas and inspirations from renowned individuals. This will involve online as well as on-site videos and interactions. For example, Ramesh Raskar’s “Idea Hexagon” is a solid starting point to stimulate the club's innovation spirit. The REDX team can help you craft the course materials that you can take online.

• Peers, Partners and Stakeholders You will engage stakeholders at the beginning, during and at the end of the 10 week program. You will also make connections with other technology or engineering clubs on tech fronts. Sharing contacts, ideas, materials, and resources benefits everyone!

(3) Share, Connect and Launch

• Open Platform We expect all REDX AI clubs to openly share their findings and resources online. The findings include your refined problem statement, invention, prototype and the stakeholder response..

• Launch With feedback from your peers, you can take your idea to the next phase or pass on to the next team. You can apply to REDX.io for additional funding.

REDX AI Club Application

To start a REDX AI club

1. Read the FAQs here

2. Apply here
   

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