Out of 500 shortlisted projects, the winners were Spain’s BrainGuard and Rated Power. But the other nine finalists also presented exciting ideas. We will take a look at all of them in this article. 

Canard Drones which was one of the finalists, was founded five years ago to provide smart solutions for airports using drones. Airports worldwide need to check their runways regularly. Before, inspection aircraft in flight were needed to perform many maintenance exercises; but Canard has created technology to do them with drones, which can be much cheaper, quicker and more efficient for airports..

Finalist FullFace Biometric Solutions addresses the problem of trying to remember a constantly changing list of passwords. Its technology makes only one login factor necessary for users: their face. The revolutionary facial recognition software of full-face biometrics can accurately identify individuals in 0.05 of a second, even if they are moving or in disguise. 

Ebers, competed in the Santander X Global Award with a product for people with diabetes. It created a smart shoe insole with sensors that connect to patients’ mobile device to improve their quality of life and prevent injuries. Having already partnered with top hospitals in Argentina, Chile and Brazil, its next step is to develop strong business relationships with major medical distributors and sellers.  

Finalist Pixza offers the world's first and only blue-corn pizza, made entirely with Mexican ingredients. A platform for social empowerment, Pixza aims to reinsert socially excluded young adults aged 17-27 into the workforce through an 18-month multidimensional programme that has four objectives, including employment, life planning and vocational learning.

Cuéntame uses the latest technology to create emotional wellbeing programmes for companies. Users can better themselves online through meditations, podcasts and other media, in addition to video calls with certified therapists. Cuéntame aims to educate users about the importance of prevention and self-care through simple, easy-to-understand language. 

Triditive is the only company in the world to create a next-generation 3D printing platform powered by machine learning to automate metal and polymer part manufacturing, with storage and traceability. It aspires to be a model for the factory of the future.

Finloop is one of few services that lets friends and relatives lend each other money. By eliminating middlemen like banks, it lets lenders and loan applicants set the amount and term of a loan, plus any interest to be paid. It also sends out email reminders and push notifications about late payments.

Finalist Totolines wants to become the first maker of tasty snacks made from insects. Insects are highly nutritious and rich in protein, calcium and carbohydrates. Energy bars containing insects could end childhood obesity in the United States.

The last finalist was Environ-Prostamets, with a diagnostic test that predicts prostate cancer metastasis, thus helping in decisions about the most effective treatment.  It was developed by researchers at Chile's Pontificia Universidad Católica to improve the quality of life of cancer patients.