The X Prize and Qualcomm foundations have announced the launch of a $10 million competition designed to revolutionize health care.

Inspired by the medical Tricorder device made famous on Star Trek, the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize aims to leverage technological innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence and wireless sensing to drive development of devices that give consumers access, in the palm of their hand, to the state of their health. The $10 million top prize in the competition will be awarded to the team that develops a mobile platform that most accurately diagnoses a set of fifteen diseases across thirty consumers in three days.

Teams also will be tasked with delivering that information in a compelling way while capturing critical real-time metrics such as blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature. The winning solutions will enable consumers in any location to quickly and effectively monitor and assess any health conditions they may have, determine whether they need professional help, and answer the question "What do I do next?"

"Health care today certainly falls far short of the vision portrayed in Star Trek," said Dr. Paul Jacobs, chairman of the Qualcomm Foundation. "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 health care, and drive efficiencies in the healthcare system. This competition will accelerate the development of tools that can empower consumers to take charge of their own bodies and manage their own care."