Ya know, I'm constantly amazed at the time we live in. We're on the verge of space tourism (thanks to the original X PRIZE) and now it seems that we could be only years away from medical tricorders in every home. Today at CES in Las Vegas, the Qualcomm Foundation and the X PRIZE Foundation announced he launch of the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE, a global competition to revolutionize healthcare.

According to the press release; teams will leverage technology innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence and wireless sensing – much like the medical Tricorder of Star Trek® fame – to make medical diagnoses independent of a physician or healthcare provider. The goal of the competition is to drive development of devices that will give consumers access to their state of health in the palm of their hand.

Honestly, how cool is that!? We heard of the announcement via Rod Roddenberry on Facebook.

Rod posted; "Love that our friends at the X Prize Foundation are working with Qualcomm to honor my father's legacy by using his science fiction to shape reality" He continues, "We're seeing the future my dad envisioned through Star Trek come to life less than 50 years later - a perfect example of what can be achieved when people work together for the greater good."

We're really stoked about this. Not only for advancement in technology, but the fact that Star Trek changes the world for the better.

Check out the full press release below;

Las Vegas, NV (January 10, 2012) — The X PRIZE Foundation and Qualcomm Foundation today announced the launch of the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE, a global competition to revolutionize healthcare. In this competition, teams will leverage technology innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence and wireless sensing – much like the medical Tricorder of Star Trek® fame – to make medical diagnoses independent of a physician or healthcare provider. The goal of the competition is to drive development of devices that will give consumers access to their state of health in the palm of their hand.

The announcement was made at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) during Qualcomm Incorporated Chairman and CEO and Qualcomm Foundation Chair, Dr. Paul Jacobs’ keynote address. Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, joined Dr. Jacobs on stage to introduce the competition.

“There is a dire need to improve access to healthcare globally and provide consumers with an opportunity to be active participants in their own health,” said Dr. Diamandis. “The Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE will incent the creation of technologies that can empower the consumer with the ability to decide when, where and how to seek health information and care.”

The $10 million top prize will be awarded to the team that develops a mobile platform that most accurately diagnoses a set of 15 diseases across 30 consumers in three days. Teams must also deliver this information in a way that provides a compelling consumer experience while capturing real time, critical health metrics such as blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature. The winning solutions will enable consumers in any location to quickly and
effectively assess health conditions, determine if they need professional help and answer the question, “What do I do next?” when it comes to their health.

“Health care today certainly falls far short of the vision portrayed in Star Trek. By sponsoring the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE competition, the Qualcomm Foundation will stimulate the imaginations of entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists and doctors to create wireless health services and technologies that improve lives, increase consumer access to healthcare and drive efficiencies in the healthcare system,” said Dr. Jacobs. “This competition will accelerate the development of tools that can empower consumers to take charge of their own bodies and manage their own care.”

By launching this incentivized competition, the X PRIZE Foundation and Qualcomm Foundation
seek to make 23rd century science fiction a 21st century medical reality. The Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE looks to empower consumers to take control of their own healthcare and improve the quality of life for people, everywhere.

The X PRIZE Foundation will have a presence in Booth #30313, Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) South Hall 3, Upper Level and Booth #3231, LVCC North Hall. For more information about the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE, visit:
http://www.qualcommtricorderxprize.org.

ABOUT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION
Founded in 1995, the X PRIZE Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prize competitions that stimulate investment in research and development worth far more than the prize itself. The organization motivates and inspires brilliant innovators from all disciplines to leverage their intellectual and financial capital for the benefit of humanity. The X PRIZE Foundation conducts competitions in four Prize Groups: Education & Global Development; Energy & Environment; Life Sciences; and Exploration. Prizes won include the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for private, suborbital space flight; the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE for creating safe, affordable, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 MPG energy equivalent (MPGe); the $2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X CHALLENGE for advanced rocket development; and the $1.4 million Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE for highly effective ocean oil spill cleanup methods. Active prizes include the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE and the $10 million Archon Genomics X PRIZE presented by Medco.

ABOUT THE QUALCOMM FOUNDATION
Established in 2010 by Qualcomm Incorporated, the Qualcomm Foundation is dedicated to developing and strengthening communities worldwide. Specifically, the Qualcomm Foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts on helping create and sustain educated, healthy, culturally vibrant communities in regions around the globe. For more information about the Qualcomm Foundation and Qualcomm Incorporated’s global social responsibility programs, visit www.qualcomm.com/community.