Build a (real) tricorder and win $10m!

[Goose]

Build a (real) tricorder and you can win $10 million!

A $10m (£6.5m) prize is on offer to whoever can create a Star Trek-like medical "tricorder".

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).

Quite a fun idea, but one, as the article notes, that will probably take a while to come to fruition. But if you're smart enough and got some spare time, go for it! I know I could sure use $10m.

[4thDoctor]

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a winner.

[SaberBlade]

It's usually contests like this which inspire people though. These are the same people who did the $10,000,000 prize for creating a non governmental reusable space vehicle and putting it into space twice within two weeks. It cost about 100,000,000 for that ship to successfully make that trip (development costs and such) but still, the prize was collected.

Interesting thing is, the ship was called SpaceShipOne. After it won the prize, Virgin bought two SpaceShipTwo's and named them Enterprise and Voyager.

With this, I can see people putting a lot of effort into it. I think humanity has lost it's drive to do something bigger and better because the moment something can be done, cost kills it. If this is enough to get people motivated, then great.

[Goose]

It's usually contests like this which inspire people though. These are the same people who did the $10,000,000 prize for creating a non governmental reusable space vehicle and putting it into space twice within two weeks. It cost about 100,000,000 for that ship to successfully make that trip (development costs and such) but still, the prize was collected.

Interesting thing is, the ship was called SpaceShipOne. After it won the prize, Virgin bought two SpaceShipTwo's and named them Enterprise and Voyager.

With this, I can see people putting a lot of effort into it. I think humanity has lost it's drive to do something bigger and better because the moment something can be done, cost kills it. If this is enough to get people motivated, then great.

Agreed. It might take a long time, or heck, it might not even happen, but hopefully it'll inspire people to at least give it a go.

[Kikyonyc]

A tricorder is impossible to make. Any handheld device that theoretically can actually diagnose disease would need actual physical contact with the patient.
The closest thing probably would be a handheld ultrasound device, which is already available by GE and Siemens. These ultrasound devices can help diagnose heart diseases, and can be used for a multitude of other applications. But it still requires someone who can interpret the images in context of clinical setting.

[Goose]

They're impossible to make with the technology and the science we have today. What's to say that it won't be possible in ten, fifty, a hundred or five hundred years from now?

[DigiFluid]

At least one guy is well on his way!