Equilimind Project Wins Colombia's 2023 Mars Challenge with Mental Health Care Solution for Astronauts
In August 2023, a multidisciplinary team from Universidad CES and a school in Envigado won the national Mars Challenge hackathon in Colombia with their project Equilimind, designed to promote mental health care for Mars explorers using augmented reality, music therapy, and relaxation techniques. The event took place over 62 continuous hours and included 120 students tackling four challenges related to Mars exploration. Equilimind will compete internationally in October 2023 in Quito, Ecuador, with provision for advanced aerospace training for winners.
The 2023 edition of the Mars Challenge in Colombia was held from August 11 to 13 over 62 continuous hours at Universidad CES in Medellín. This hackathon gathered 120 students from various university programs and secondary schools across Colombia to develop solutions for four key challenges regarding Mars exploration: waste management, habitat design, mental health protection, and nutrition strategies under extreme conditions. The winning team, named Team #1, included students from Universidad CES in Nutrition and Dietetics, Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Medicine, and a student from Colegio Palermo San José de Envigado. Their project, Equilimind, proposes a mental health program for Mars explorers featuring augmented reality applications, music therapy, relaxation techniques, and protocols for psychological first aid with Earth-based support in crisis situations. Following their national win, the Equilimind team will refine their prototype to participate in the international Mars Challenge hackathon to be held in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2023, where they will compete with winners from Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Peru. Winners will also receive aerospace orientation training at a prestigious international institution recognized for aerospace education and research, such as NASA's Space Center in Houston, USA. The hackathon included workshops on design thinking, business modeling, prototyping, and received mentorship from national and international experts, alongside activities with partner institutions like the Planetarium of Medellín and Parque Explora. The solutions proposed remain in the prototype phase and have not yet been tested or validated in real mission contexts.