Qualcomm launches medical tricorder competition at CES

No technology show would be complete without some reference to Star Trek and this year at CES there is a competition to develop a medical ‘tricorder'.

Launched by Qualcomm, the top prize is $10m it will tax the greatest minds. Announcing the competition Dr Peter H. Diamandis, chief executive of the X PRIZE Foundation, said there is a "dire need for improvements in health and healthcare .... But a viable solution has yet evaded one of the most technologically advanced, educated and prosperous nations on the globe.

"Integrated diagnostic technology, once available on a consumer mobile device that is easy to use, will allow individuals to incorporate health knowledge and decision-making into their daily lives."

In Star Trek there were a number of different tricorder devices, a general one which was able to "scout unfamiliar areas, make detailed examination of living things, and record and review technical data."

The medical tricorder primarily used by Dr ‘Bones' Mcoy had a detachable hand held scanner and helped diagnose diseases and collect physical information about the patient.

All the winning team has to come up with is a hand held device that can use data from wireless sensors, imaging technology and artificial intelligence to diagnose medical conditions without the need for the presence of a doctor.

According to Qualcomm the winning team will be the one that can develop a device that most accurately diagnoses a set of 15 diseases across 30 consumers in three days.

The company said that consumer must be able to use and understand the information given by the winning device. They must in effect Qualcomm said be able to answer the question, "What do I do next?" when it comes to their health.

Qualcomm doesn't expect the competition will be won any time soon. But as captain Kirk said in the original Star Trek series, it may become "... a dream that became a reality and spread throughout the stars".

Live long and prosper