Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Certain rare minerals essential for chip production are concentrated in regions with political instability or poor labor practices, creating both ethical and supply chain risks. Finding viable alternatives or more responsible sourcing remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
supply-chain
regions
don
have
way
manufacture
computer
chips
relying
materials
mined
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
3D printing excels at prototyping and small-batch production but still can't match the speed, precision, and cost-efficiency of traditional mass manufacturing for complex electronics. Closing this gap could transform how and where products are made.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
printing
complex
electronics
yet
build
technology
precise
fast
enough
mass-produce
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
haven
technology-computing
fully
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Data centers placed in unconventional locations to save on cooling costs still face risks from environmental changes or accidents that traditional facilities don't. Making these systems fully resilient remains an unresolved engineering challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
data
cooling
systems
fully
environmental
haven
found
way
make
undersea
whether
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
mathematics-logic
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Phone batteries degrade noticeably after a couple of years of daily charging cycles, contributing to both consumer frustration and electronic waste from early device replacement. A more durable battery technology remains commercially elusive.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
battery
years
daily
don
have
reliable
affordable
way
extend
smartphone
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current exoskeleton technology can help people regain some mobility, but cost and bulkiness keep it out of reach for most who could benefit. Making this technology both affordable and comfortable for daily use remains unresolved.
health-biology
global-unspecified
affordable
comfortable
people
mobility
build
robotic
exoskeletons
enough
widespread
everyday
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Drone delivery has been tested in various cities, but noise, safety concerns, and airspace regulation have kept it from becoming a mainstream, everyday urban service. Solving these combined challenges remains an ongoing barrier.
science-space
global-unspecified
drone
delivery
urban
haven
solved
build
systems
operate
safely
quietly
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
society-governance
cities
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Defenses against these attacks, which flood a target with traffic to knock it offline, can sometimes inadvertently slow down real users as well while filtering out malicious requests. A cleaner separation between attack and legitimate traffic remains technically difficult.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
traffic
against
attacks
down
legitimate
don
have
network
protocols
fully
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cameras and sensors used in security or autonomous systems still perform noticeably worse in poor visibility conditions than in daylight, creating real safety and reliability gaps. Closing this performance gap affordably remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
systems
conditions
yet
build
affordable
computer
vision
work
reliably
extremely
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Developers still occasionally and accidentally commit sensitive credentials directly into shared code repositories, creating avoidable security exposure. More robust default protections against this common mistake remain inconsistently adopted.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
code
haven
found
way
make
software
development
tools
fully
prevent
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Laying physical fiber cable across mountains, deserts, or widely scattered rural populations is often prohibitively expensive relative to the number of people served. Finding cost-effective alternatives for these hard-to-reach areas remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
fiber
don
have
scalable
way
build
optic
internet
infrastructure
geographically
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
GPS doesn't work well inside buildings, and alternative indoor positioning technologies haven't achieved the same reliability and ease of deployment needed for widespread augmented reality navigation use. Solving indoor positioning at scale remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
augmented
reality
navigation
work
gps
build
systems
accurate
enough
reliably
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
climate-environment
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Recycling facilities still rely heavily on human sorters because robotic systems struggle to reliably distinguish between similar-looking but differently recyclable materials. Improving this accuracy could significantly increase recycling efficiency worldwide.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
recycling
haven
solved
build
robotics
capable
sorting
complex
mixed
streams
systems
waste
economics-resources
management
materials
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Aircraft safety relies heavily on scheduled inspections rather than continuous, real-time structural monitoring, since affordable sensors capable of this level of detail remain limited. Expanding this kind of predictive monitoring remains an unresolved aviation challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
affordable
structural
aircraft
don
have
widely
available
technology
detect
fatigue
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Computer memory still requires a tradeoff between speed, which loses data when powered off, and permanent storage, which is comparatively slower. A technology that fully combines both properties remains a long-sought but unresolved goal in computer engineering.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
computer
memory
technology
both
permanent
storage
yet
build
fast
current
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
haven
possible
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As electric vehicle adoption grows, local power grids in many areas aren't yet built to handle the sudden, concentrated demand spikes from many vehicles charging simultaneously. Upgrading this infrastructure fast enough remains an unresolved challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
electric
infrastructure
enough
handle
sudden
vehicle
charging
haven
found
way
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
make
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Physical hardware used in sensitive systems can sometimes be tampered with before installation, and detecting this tampering reliably and affordably remains technically challenging. Closing this hardware security gap remains an unresolved priority.
society-governance
global-unspecified
hardware
systems
don
have
reliable
way
build
affordable
tamper-evident
securing
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many cities, especially in lower-income regions, lack dense, affordable air quality sensor networks capable of providing residents with accurate, real-time pollution information. Closing this monitoring gap remains an unresolved public health infrastructure challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
public-health
affordable
air
quality
accurate
public
health
monitoring
haven
solved
build
whether
philosophy-ethics
health-biology
society-governance
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Networking equipment can potentially be intercepted and secretly modified during shipping before it ever reaches its intended destination, creating hidden long-term security risks. Building tamper-evident supply chains for this hardware remains incompletely adopted.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
supply-chain
networking
hardware
during
shipping
don
have
way
build
computer
fully
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fraudulent recall notices, generated to appear official, could mislead consumers into either unnecessary returns or ignoring genuine safety recalls entirely. Verifying the authenticity of recall communications quickly remains an unresolved consumer safety issue.
local-regional
global-unspecified
recall
notices
consumers
haven
solved
prevent
ai-generated
fake
product
confusing
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fabricated certificates claiming completion of online courses that were never actually finished can undermine trust in credentialing from these platforms. Strengthening verification processes remains an unresolved challenge for online education providers.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
online
completion
certificates
platforms
don
have
reliable
way
prevent
systems
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
agreed
