Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge 2026-2027 “Human-Centered Robotics for Longevity"
You are invited to participate in the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge, a global innovation competition open to students at Stanford and universities around the world. The 2025-2026 design theme is“ Human-Centered Robotics for Longevity.”
People are living longer than ever before, and throughout these longer lives they encounter periods of transition, changing abilities, new responsibilities, and evolving needs.
The Design Challenge invites students to explore how simple, affordable, and socially supportive robotics solutions can help people thrive at every stage of life. Challenges such as mobility limitations, chronic health conditions, caregiving strain, social isolation, cognitive changes, physical safety concerns, and financial constraints can appear at any age, yet many remain underserved by existing tools and systems. The goal is not to remove people from care, connection, or community, but to empower individuals and families by reducing burdens, improving safety, expanding independence, and creating new opportunities for engagement. Learn more.
Students from all majors/fields of study are encouraged to submit a design. The goal is not to remove people from care, connection, or community, but to empower individuals and families by reducing burdens, improving safety, expanding independence, and creating new opportunities for engagement.
Areas that can be targeted (but are not limited to):
- Mobility and Physical Safety
- Caregiving and Daily Living
- Social Connection and Human Interaction
- Aging Infrastructure.
Eligibility and Requirements:
- Students of all majors/fields of study are welcome to participate!
- Each team must consist of at least one full-time student.
- Teams may have a total of up to 5 members, and may also include students from other universities and/or non-students. Students may also compete alone, as a team of 1.
- Only students are allowed to present at the Finals.
- Create a design for a product, service, or program that addresses the Challenge theme, “Human-Centered Robotics for Longevity.”
- Submit your design online any time between September 15 and December 1, 2026: https://longevity.awardsplatform.com/
- Finalist teams will be announced on January 27, 2027.
- Finalists will be awarded $1,000 USD and paired with an experienced mentor to help prepare for the finals.
- Finalists will present their design before a panel of judges at the finals in April. Grand prizes will be awarded (1st place: $10,000 USD, 2nd place: $5,000 USD, 3rd place: $2,000 USD).
- Students of all majors/fields of study are welcome to participate!
- Each team must consist of at least one full-time student.
- Teams may have a total of up to 5 members, and may also include students from other universities and/or non-students. Students may also compete alone, as a team of 1.
- Only students are allowed to present at the Finals.
