Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE

Healthcare in the palm of your hand

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is this a global competition?
  • Teams from around the world are expected to enter and compete for the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE. While the technology developed in this competition will be targeted at U.S. consumers, we believe that this will pave the way for future versions of the tool to be adapted to include consumers in many more countries.


  • What is "de-skilling"?
  • De-skilling is the process of taking a skill based on human expertise and replacing it with technology-based expertise.


  • Why is diagnosis the focus, and why is this important? Shouldn't we be trying to cure diseases?
  • Diagnosis is usually the first step in healthcare. Once a diagnosis can be confirmed, therapy/ treatment (including the appropriate drugs) follows. Unclear or imprecise diagnosis can result in ineffective therapy, since it would be treating the wrong disease.


  • If the technology can diagnose strep throat, can it also prescribe my antibiotic?
  • Not in this "Device 1.0" stage of development. Future versions and additional healthcare partnerships would be required to allow for this. It is not a requirement or expectation of this competition, although the benefit is clear.


  • What will the Device actually do?
    • Diagnose diseases
    • Provide ongoing metrics of health (vitals)
    • Allow monitoring or continuous use of sensors to diagnose and measure health
    • Provide awareness of health state
    • Give confirmation that everything is ok with a consumer
    • Notify that something is not ok (a "check engine light")


  • What's new about the technology? Doesn't most of this already exist?
  • Yes, some of the technology exists today. However, the the teams in this competition will pull this all together in one seamless system. The resulting instrument will also push the sensing component of technology in different ways: Smaller, lighter, cheaper, faster, better. Integration of these many different components is expected to be very challenging.


  • Is this an app?
  • It will be portable and may be integrated with a cell phone, but the underlying technology goes far beyond an "app" because it leverages the capabilities of wireless sensors. However, on a portable device, the interface with the consumer may look like an app; you just won’t be able to see the "engine" behind it.


  • Do the sensors have to be wireless?
  • No; however, due to consumer experience requirements it's unlikely a non-wireless sensor will be successful.


  • Can the sensors be invasive? (What is "invasive?")

    • There is no requirement or limit on sensing; we define a grand challenge and let teams find the best, innovative new solutions. "Invasive" means it punctures the skin. The competition allows this but it's very unlikely this would be acceptable to a consumer. For example, drawing blood is invasive but the accelerometer in your phone is non-invasive.


  • What is the difference between sensors and sensing? (What is "sensing?")

    • Sensors are generally physical hardware. These are used to collect health metrics and data about a person. The sensor can collect data for a short or long period of time. Sensing is the process of taking the data and interpreting it for patterns. These patterns can be analyzed to show unusual variations within one person, or compared to other people.


  • Where will the sensors be?
  • Teams determine what type of sensors and how many will be used in their their entries. Sensors can be on-body, near the body, or in the individual's environment.


  • What is artificial intelligence and how will it be used in the device?
  • Artificial intelligence or "AI" is the ability of computers (machines) to think in place of humans. This is a powerful tool that can far exceed human capabilities. AI will be used in the device for diagnosis. Individuals will likely be asked by the device to describe their health states or symptoms; this information may be combined with sensor data to arrive at a diagnosis.