The Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize has challenged researchers to build a tool capable of capturing “key health metrics and diagnosing a set of 15 diseases”. It needs to be light enough for would-be Dr McCoys to carry – a maximum weight of 5lb (2.2kg).
The award organisers hope the huge prize may inspire a present-day engineer to figure out the sci-fi gadget’s secret, and “make 23rd Century science fiction a 21st Century medical reality”.
“I’m probably the first guy who’s here in Vegas who would be happy to lose $10m,” said X Prize Foundation chairman Peter Diamandis.
Areas to think about:
- Are there any ethical implications in offering this sort of prize?
- How effective is a large prize in encouraging research?
- How likely is it that the prize will be claimed in the near term?
Related articles
- $10m prize for ‘Star Trek’ gadget (bbc.co.uk)
- Qualcomm Tricorder X prize offers $10M to inventor of real tricorder (slashgear.com)
- CES 2012: Invent a real Star Trek tricorder, win $10m (techradar.com)
- CosmicLog: Plans set for ‘Tricorder’ contest (cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com)
- X PRIZE Foundation wants the Tricorder invented now! (originalarchive.co.uk)
Discussion
No comments yet.