Drawbridge

Inspiration

"Microsoft and others are working on getting machines out but the supply chain is constrained.

Unfortunately low income students will be hurt more by the situation than others so we need to help any way we can."

Bill Gates, 11 days ago

The above quote formed the "call to action" for us to create Drawbridge. The risk that low income students, isolated elderly, and other workers get left behind under the assumption that everyone has computers these days is a discomforting reality that we'd like to help confront.

What it does

Drawbridge seeks to close the gap between those with leftover laptops and those in need of one to learn, work or keep in touch. A proposal for a solution coordinated by many of the partner companies to resolve this problem despite the supply constraints on new tech.

How I built it

Our solution is more of a proposal of a process that the named partners are uniquely able to execute rather than an explicit technical solution. Despite this, we believe it holds strong merit as far as fulfilling the competitions aim to create impact.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge we ran into was solving the problem of technical feasibility - how do we promote our services? How do we operate and manage such a large-scale system of donations? We eventually came to the conclusion that despite the logistical difficulty, the solution is well within scope of what the partner companies have done in past, and that the size of the impact makes it rationally/economically feasible to implement.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our biggest accomplishment was perhaps achieving a design for such a large process that we feel is not only impactful but also very feasible. Additionally we were quite proud of our interface design / vision - we believe an intuitive design of an online system will help everyone access our services with ease to help those in need.

What we learned

The problem which we seek to solve has proven to be bigger than we initially assumed. We saw this while undertaking research on the problem, whether it be through statistics, talking to family and friends, etc. This showed us the extent to which the global crisis is affecting the lives of many - and to what extent Drawbridge could have an impact.

What's next for Drawbridge

Working with the partner companies, we'd love to help spread awareness of our cause through social media, or be part of the technical journey should we be given the privledge.