Walk'nCatch

💎 Idea

Physical inactivity has become a major public health challenge.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 31% of adults and 80% of adolescents (aged 11–17) do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. As a result, 1.8 billion adults worldwide are at increased risk of developing physical or mental health issues — making physical inactivity the fourth leading cause of global mortality.

Our solution transforms this problem into an opportunity for play, discovery, and wellbeing.

We have developed a mobile application that turns walking or running outdoors into a real-world treasure hunt. Players explore their surroundings, collect clues, capture virtual characters, and unlock hidden stories linked to the city’s culture and heritage

By blending gamification, cultural discovery, and physical movement, the app encourages users to go outside, be active, and connect with the local environment.

Every city becomes an open-air adventure, where users can exercise, learn, and have fun at the same time — making healthy activity natural, social, and culturally meaningful.

Link to our demo (without comments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POLcx2-OVyw

🛰️ EU Space Technologies

Our app integrates EU space technologies to ensure precision, safety, and an enhanced user experience.

We rely on the Galileo satellite navigation system, accessed through the mobile device’s positioning service, to provide highly accurate and reliable location tracking. This ensures that hints and virtual events are triggered exactly when users reach the correct spots in the city — whether it’s a historic monument or a hidden alleyway.

We also incorporate the Copernicus Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to analyse the terrain and elevation of each treasure hunt area. This allows us to:

• Estimate the effort and difficulty of each route (e.g. hilly vs. flat terrain).

• Suggest experiences based on user preferences or physical capability.

• Plan to use DEM data to automatically generate and optimize future treasure hunts, creating routes that are both enjoyable and safe.

By leveraging Galileo’s accuracy and Copernicus data richness, our solution showcases how EU space technologies can directly improve public health and engagement with local culture.

🤼 Team

Our team brings together diverse expertise — from software engineering and data science to design and business innovation — united by a shared passion for creating meaningful, tech-driven experiences.

Chiara (Team Leader & Software Engineer) – With a background in astronomy and a deep interest in innovation, health, and entrepreneurship, she leads the team with the goal of developing technology that improves people’s lives through movement and discovery.

 Aki (Designer) – A multidisciplinary creative mind passionate about storytelling, visual design, and user experience. Aki transforms cultural and artistic inspiration into engaging digital experiences.

Sunjida (Business Analyst) – A dynamic innovator who bridges data and creativity to build impactful, user-centered solutions. She focuses on understanding markets and driving strategic growth.

Quentin (Geospatial Data Analyst) – A former astrophysicist turned data scientist, skilled at turning complex geospatial data into actionable insights that shape smarter, location-based experiences.

Together, we combine technical precision, artistic creativity, and analytical insight to make outdoor exploration exciting, educational, and beneficial for health.