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A US partnership will award $10 million to the creators of a high–tech, implantable device which will enable an early diagnosis of conditions, improve wellness and allow longer, healthier lives.

By Anonymous on Feb 25, 2013

This Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize, sponsored by the X-Prize Foundation and Qualcomm, a US telecommunications technology firm, will give a developer $10 million (£6.5 million) for creating a wireless device that scans the entire body in order to measure and monitor different conditions. These two organisations were inspired by a high-tech sensor known as the tricorder (pictured) which was used by the fictional characters in Star Trek.    

Mobile healthcare is not a new concept as currently, data is sent through smart phones to hospitals and health professionals by sensors such as heart monitors so as to decipher health problems before they occur. Last year, the University of Southern California (USC) for Body Computing developed a clinical trial, using a device known as AliveCor ECG, which delivers real-time electrocardiograms through an iPhone.

Vice President of global strategy and market development at Qualcomm Life Don Jones says, “If we look at the history of technology over the last hundred years, it has extended life in a dramatic way. I think we're going to see new technologies we have trouble imagining today; in the same way that Star Trek imagined the tricorder in the 1960s. Today we actually believe that such things are possible. “

It is hoped that this device will make implanted technology an essential facet of future healthcare systems. Currently, individuals might be afraid of this type of invasive technology but it is up to the healthcare industry to educate them about its benefits. This kind of device will help patients lead longer, healthier lives and empower them to take charge of their own healthcare.

Professor of medicine and engineering at the USC Dr. David Agus says, “My vision is, you're in charge of yourself. The old days of your doctor being in charge of your health - take that and throw it out the window.”            

These portable devices can act as a mobile life coach that will deliver preventative healthcare advice on diet and fitness regimes, which is still in its infancy at the moment.

Joe Perez, a founder of various technology companies, says, “Without having somebody push you, whether it's a gym buddy or some concept of a coach, you tend to fall off the wagon. Ten years from now, you're going to look back and say, 'Oh yeah, I knew about that cancer, it was on its way and we had it taken care of. We'll have devices all over the place and information flowing all the time, and that will change wellness.”