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
Automatic transfer of parental digital contracts to minors creates financial and data liabilities before legal capacity. The challenge is designing inheritance rules for digital services that protect children from involuntary ongoing commitments.
digital
children
preventing
inheriting
unresolved
technology-computing
The problem of schools unprepared for children with special needs continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
schools
unprepared
children
special
needs
other
If parks close at night on the grounds that vegetation requires solitude, human access to green space is reduced. The problem is integrating genuine ecological rest requirements with the continuous human need for outdoor refuge and recreation.
access
balancing
public
park
claimed
science-space
public transport systems inaccessible to disabled people remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
systems
public
transport
inaccessible
disabled
other
When an individual’s voice can be licensed for insertion into third-party speech, identity and consent become commercial assets. The challenge is preventing unauthorised or harmful use while still allowing legitimate creative or accessibility applications.
use
regulating
rental
personal
voices
technology-computing
The problem of lack of ramps and basic accessibility features continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
lack
ramps
basic
accessibility
features
other
Roadways that shrink in real time based on predicted density can trap pedestrians and restrict access. The problem is managing crowd flow without creating physical bottlenecks that endanger people or exclude those with mobility needs.
preventing
streets
narrowing
automatically
under
health-biology
environments that exclude people with disabilities remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
environments
exclude
people
disabilities
building
climate-environment
Companion drones assigned at birth that cannot be permanently powered down raise questions of autonomy, surveillance, and liability. The challenge is giving individuals genuine authority over devices that have been present since infancy without creating safety gaps.
over
drones
establishing
control
lifelong
health-biology
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving elderly people left without adequate care. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.
solutions
elderly
people
left
without
social-civic-problems
Local referenda that temporarily outlaw certain emotions create zones of enforced affective conformity. The problem is preserving the right to private and public emotional expression while still allowing communities to address genuine collective harms.
emotional
protecting
freedom
when
neighbourhoods
society-governance
unacceptably high suicide rates in many regions remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
unacceptably
high
suicide
rates
many
other
Packaging that withholds biodegradability until a commercial or political message is watched turns every meal into a forced media encounter. The challenge is allowing informative or educational content without conditioning basic waste reduction on attention capture.
message
packaging
removing
mandatory
viewing
social-civic-problems
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving epidemic levels of loneliness and depression. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.
epidemic
levels
loneliness
depression
strengthening
health-biology
Reflective surfaces that display a socially anticipated face rather than the actual one undermine personal identity and body autonomy. The problem is ensuring that basic self-viewing tools remain accurate and private rather than consensus-driven.
self
restoring
perception
when
mirrors
health-biology
The problem of systematic neglect of mental health services continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
systematic
neglect
mental
health
services
other
Official documents that continuously revise expected lifespan can shape education, insurance, relationships, and self-perception from birth. The challenge is providing useful health information without embedding deterministic forecasts into legal identity.
birth
lifespan
limiting
social
impact
social-civic-problems
incomplete control of the hiv epidemic remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
incomplete
control
hiv
epidemic
building
health-biology
Seating that morphs to deter anyone except previous users reduces spontaneous social contact and excludes newcomers. The problem is designing street furniture that remains welcoming while still managing wear and anti-social behaviour.
preventing
public
benches
discouraging
strangers
health-biology
Many countries will need to support more older people with fewer workers and uncertain productivity gains. The challenge is redesigning pensions, care, migration, housing, and employment without increasing generational conflict. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
economics-resources
pension
systems
societies
shrinking
working-age
populations
low-income
communities
countries
will
technology-computing
climate-environment
society-governance
infrastructure
quantum
social-civic-problems
science-space
