Good at making apps? Love space? Feel like making $1,500? If this sounds like you, keep reading.
NASA is seeking a smartwatch app for its astronauts and is looking towards the general public to fulfill that need. Before you start coding, NASA is looking for a specific type of app which would keep their astronauts safe on top of being more organized -- probably wouldn't be the most opportune moment to show off your Grumpy Cat project.
The contest is being held on Freelancer in case any of you readers are interested in entering. For hardware reference, the space agency wants potential app makers to look towards the Samsung Gear 2. What NASA is looking for essentially is an app that is capable of displaying a timeline, warnings, communication status and timers. Keyword is app as in singular, your app must be able to have these multipurpose uses -- no individual apps to handle different functions. More detail is listed under the contest briefing.
This wouldn't be the first time NASA has turned to crowdsourcing for new and innovative ideas. Back in May, NASA announced the "Journey to Mars" challenge. The Journey to Mars challenge involved gathering public input on how mankind could sustain a human presence on the red planet. Participants were challenged to come up with technically possible solutions that were feasible to achieve this goal. Just like back in May, NASA is depending on brilliant minds to help aid in space exploration. Technology is a wonderful thing, and we've come a long way since the first moon landing back in 1969.
Smartwatches are slowly becoming the new norm -- from your local street to deep space, these nifty devices are integrating into our daily lives. Prior to wanting to go the smartwatch route, NASA's astronauts were relying on laptops and ipads which may have been a tad cumbersome in space as opposed to a device strapped to your wrist. Beyond the aforementioned criteria of what NASA is looking for in the app, it has to also be able to communicate with ground control once the ISS is in position.
Freelancer has some 16 million registered users and the contest has less than four weeks remaining. According to The Verge, six people have stepped up to the challenge so far. With so many registered users, this pool could quickly grow as more time elapses. Even if money isn't a motivate, the very idea of helping out the brave men and women boldly going where no man has gone before is pretty cool.
How do you feel about NASA turning to smartwatches and do you think this is a brilliant idea? We'd love to hear your opinions below!
