d.school Paris · École des Ponts

Problem

Merchant seafarers communicate, document and monitor at the same time. Screen-based systems interrupt their workflow and add cognitive load while their hands are already busy.

What they built

BlueCore AI lets operators speak naturally to access information, check schedules and complete operational records. It turns spoken input into structured documentation without replacing professional judgement.

Impact

Crews stay focused and report faster. For maritime stakeholders, the concept shows how human-centred AI can improve efficiency while supporting well-being, privacy and trust.

Problem

The maritime sector expects an officer shortage above 5% by 2026. Fatigue, an industrial environment and isolation drive many officers out of the profession around age 30 to 35.

What they built

CustHome turns the crew's recreational room into a modular, customisable space. A guidance platform and the CustHome Patch fastening system let seafarers rearrange furniture to suit their activities.

Impact

Seafarers disconnect better and recover faster. The Deep Blue Foundation gains visibility among shipowners and strengthens its support for the maritime sector.

Problem

Recreational nitrous oxide canisters end up in household waste and explode in waste-to-energy facilities, damaging equipment and endangering staff. There is no accessible way to dispose of them.

What they built

Proxit makes local tobacco shops relay collection points. Users hand in canisters and receive 2€ each; once storage is full, the shop requests a Paprec pick-up within 48 hours.

Impact

Consumers dispose of canisters responsibly and shops earn 5€ per bottle. The city gets cleaner and waste-to-energy facilities safer.

Problem

Urban housing forces trade-offs between space, location, privacy and community. Managed residences offer convenience but little control, while rising costs shrink what people can afford.

What they built

Bonjour Living is built around four zones: a private apartment, a small cluster sharing occasional amenities, building-wide spaces such as gardens and coworking, and public-facing areas that connect to the neighbourhood.

Impact

Residents gain flexibility, comfort and community and can stay longer. VINCI gets stronger tenant retention and new revenue from public-facing areas.

Problem

AI-driven sales forecasting delivers accuracy but no explanation. Forecasters cannot justify predictions to stakeholders, so even correct predictions go unused.

What they built

Crystal Box shows why the AI's predictions change and lets forecasters add contextual factors such as exchange rates, weather or strikes that lie outside the model's training data.

Impact

Forecasters present AI insights with confidence. Sponsors tackle low AI adoption and recover the value of their forecasting investments.

Problem

Many French and Chinese drivers never learned to use driving assistance. Some do not know it exists, others distrust it or cannot decode English acronyms, so it stays off.

What they built

Adavise brings assistance functions to the driver instead of hiding them: a visual gallery with clear descriptions, dashboard recommendations and a gamified reward system with an online community.

Impact

Drivers reconnect with the functions that can save their lives, in the simplest and most attractive way possible.

Problem

In primary care, patients manage their own medication, risking non-adherence and poor disease control. Existing options remove responsibility entirely or ignore active lifestyles.

What they built

The d-kleep app shows prescriptions in a colour-coded view for easy pillbox filling, with a pharmacist filling service, symptom tracking and appointments. A modular, detachable pillbox fits any routine.

Impact

Patients understand and manage treatment autonomously. Omnicell gains a route to medication management that supports patient autonomy.

Problem

Identify the main issues in how fleets pay for fuel, across managers, drivers and station staff, and make the process more comfortable and faster.

What they built

Drivers pay for fuel in an app that reports automatically. Managers analyse expenses in a service centre with a chatbot assistant. Hardware (TUB in France, OBD in Brazil) collects real-time vehicle data.

Impact

Smoother reporting for drivers and more reliable data for managers. Edenred is discussing further development to bring Upsand to market.

Problem

Rural general practitioners are retiring faster than newcomers arrive. Seniors distrust remote consultation, the only alternative they are offered.

What they built

At a DAMU practice, medical staff greet patients, take measurements and handle the technical set-up. The doctor joins remotely in a teleconsultation room equipped with four examination tools.

Impact

Patients get a human, trustful visit. Medicas reaches more rural patients while its doctors work flexibly from different locations.

Problem

Driver-assistance cameras must be recalibrated after every windshield replacement. Current tools are tedious and too bulky to bring to the customer, wasting technicians' and drivers' time.

What they built

Designed with technicians, beamm uses self-centring tyre targets and a slide-and-lock aluminium frame. A laser rangefinder captures positions and software guides the panel into place in two steps.

Impact

Twice as fast without losing precision, and it fits in a van. Drivers wait less, technicians serve more customers and widen their range.

Problem

Psoriasis patients face stigma and lifelong treatment, and often abandon it. Consultations last 15 minutes, leaving little time to understand symptoms.

What they built

Patients log medical history, symptoms and crises in one app. During consultation, the physician opens a board view with a temporary code. Reminders and pharmacy ordering complete the service.

Impact

Consultations save time for both sides and focus on what matters. Patients carry less mental load and engage more in their care.

Problem

Rheumatic diseases affect 2-3% of people, yet patients wait about six months for a specialist. GPs lack a direct line to hospital specialists.

What they built

Daodad lets doctors search specialists by advanced criteria and request an urgent slot or peer-to-peer consultation, designed with doctors and with a focus on data privacy.

Impact

Waiting time drops from almost six months to under a week. The platform works for all doctors and pathologies.

Problem

Denser city traffic and new mobility types demand more attention from drivers. Valeo asked how to enhance the mobility experience in smart cities with its resources.

What they built

Vulnerable road users and heavy vehicles equip themselves with a Safe Space device. Sensors and connectivity exchange contextual warnings in real time.

Impact

Less stress and fewer misunderstandings on the road. The data can help municipalities improve infrastructure.

Problem

Integrate Tarkett's motion-sensing flooring where it helps most: hospitals and nursing homes, where recovery from falls declines with age.

What they built

Tablets fixed to caretakers' carts connect to the Floor in Motion system so staff can monitor residents at night while staying mobile. A pilot ran in a nursing home.

Impact

A safer and more comfortable home environment for the elderly.

Problem

How could TV use improve while people keep interacting? 65% of viewers do something else while watching, and complex remotes degrade the experience.

What they built

Households still gather in front of the TV, but wall-mounted sets line people up side by side. AGORA places two 23-inch screens back to back on the coffee table.

Impact

Testers felt a stronger human connection. Panasonic can step away from bigger is better and lead towards a more social living room.

Problem

Airports are the weak link of air transport, optimised for flow rather than passengers. The Friendly Airport of 2040 must suit all travellers and remain viable.

What they built

Personal airport shuttles carry families, business travellers and impaired passengers from arrival to take-off, with authentication, check-in and baggage handled on board.

Impact

Baggage stays with the passenger, and a central airport centre with decentralised skygates shortens the way.