Beyond the Field: Playfully Pushing Limits

Image: VietNam Beautiful via Unsplash

What do you see when a child kicks a soccer ball?

Freedom. Joy. Friendship. Play.

A child at play is a moving illustration of creativity and human development. 

Children learn by playing. It’s how humans are wired. 

Consider what a child learns by kicking a ball: 

• Physical Skills: They develop coordination, balance, and motor skills as they control their movements to kick, run, and chase the ball.
• Social Skills: Playing with others teaches cooperation, teamwork, and communication as they interact, share, and negotiate rules.
• Emotional Skills: Playing teaches emotional regulation, overcoming fear, and dealing with setbacks.
• Problem-Solving: They learn to adapt and strategize as they navigate obstacles, adjust their tactics, and overcome challenges on the field.
• Physics: They explore fundamental principles of physics as they observe how a ball bounces off uneven surfaces, the use of force, rebounding, gravity, spin, and more.
• Creativity: They exercise their imagination and creativity as they invent new games, develop unique strategies, and explore novel ways to interact with the ball and their environment.

What does a social psychology and economics student who’s taking an engineering course see when a child kicks a soccer ball?

A solution to poor infrastructure and electricity on demand.

Wait. What?


Adults Can Benefit From Play, Too

It’s true. 

​The innate ability to learn through play isn't limited to children. It's a fundamental aspect of human nature that can spark innovation and drive change.

Back in 2008, two students at Harvard University, Jessica O. Matthews (referenced above) and Julia C. Silverman, who was studying Social Anthropology and Economics, made this creative leap together in an engineering class. 

You see, Matthews’ family is from Nigeria, and on her many trips to visit family who still live there, she observed two big things: 

1. Nigerians live and die for soccer (as does most of the world)
2. And the electricity is unreliable, regardless of location and socio-economic status.

Matthews brought this observation to Silverman, and they co-create a device that harnesses and stores the kinetic energy of being kicked to generate reliable energy for a small device. And through the iterative process of trial and error, their experiments resulted in a prototype of an object called SOCCKET - a soccer ball with an embedded gyroscope generator and a power port -  that could turn 30 minutes of play into three hours of light or a fully charged cell phone. 

The imaginative leap this took is one seen time and again in creative thinking: random association.
Let’s walk through what the process could have looked like.

Observation: 

Matthews and Silverman observed two disparate facts and brought them together: the universal love for soccer, and the prevalent issue of unreliable electricity in a wide array of communities. This observation sparked their curiosity and planted the seed for innovation.

Playful Exploration: 

Inspired by the idea of play and its potential to generate energy, Matthews and Silverman began experimenting with different materials and designs. They approached the challenge with a sense of curiosity and playfulness themselves, allowing them to explore unconventional ideas.

Frustration and Setbacks: 

As with any creative endeavor, the process was not without its challenges. Initially, engineering experts said their idea couldn’t be done, forcing them to adapt and learn on their own. There were surely moments of frustration when initial prototypes failed to meet expectations or faced technical difficulties. But instead of giving up, they persisted, using setbacks as learning opportunities to refine their approach.

Iterative Design: 

Through a process of playing with trial and error, Matthews and Silverman iterated on their designs, continually refining and improving the SOCCKET prototype. Each version brought them closer to their goal, as they learned from both successes and failures along the way.

Excitement and Breakthroughs: 

Alongside the challenges came moments of excitement and breakthroughs. When they successfully developed a prototype that could convert kinetic energy from play into usable electricity, it marked a significant milestone in their creative journey. These moments of success fueled their motivation and inspired them to keep pushing the boundaries of what was possible.

Collaborative Innovation: 

Throughout the process, Matthews and Silverman collaborated closely, leveraging each other's strengths and perspectives to overcome obstacles, uncover their blindspots, and drive innovation forward. Their partnership exemplified the power of teamwork in creative problem-solving.

Real-World Impact: 

The culmination of their efforts resulted in the creation of the SOCCKET, a groundbreaking innovation with the potential to address energy poverty and empower communities around the world. Their journey from observation to invention demonstrates the transformative power of creativity when combined with empathy, persistence, and collaboration.

The two women went on to co-found Uncharted Play (now Uncharted), a company “on a mission to accelerate the equitable development of smart, sustainable infrastructure worldwide.” What started as a simple obsersvation of play became their ethos for impact.
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The Power of Play

The journey of Matthews and Silverman in creating the SOCCKET illustrates the power of play to transcend perceived limitations and drive transformative change.

They dared to challenge the status quo and ask, "what if?" They embraced the spirit of play, allowing curiosity and imagination to guide their creative process. They ignored the experts who said it couldn’t be done and taught themselves just enough to have a breakthrough. Through playful exploration, they uncovered unexpected connections and solutions that had the potential to reshape entire communities.

The SOCCKET may not have turned into the promise it initially held, but its conceptualization and initial impact serve as a powerful testament to the potential of small ideas to spark significant change. The story of the SOCCKET demonstrates how innovation and creativity, even in their early stages, can have far-reaching implications and inspire broader conversations and initiatives.

This story serves as a powerful reminder that your greatest breakthroughs often emerge when you give yourself permission to play, to dream, and to push beyond the limits of what's expected or assumed. 

When you unleash your creativity and refuse to underestimate yourself, you open yourself up to a world of possibilities.
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So, what's your limit?

Don't underestimate yourself. Embrace the playful, imaginative spirit within you and dare to dream big. Who knows what transformative impact you may unleash on the world.