SDSU Team Advances in Global Competition
SDSUs X-Team is now one of 33 teams competing for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE.
When San Diego State University's X-Team entered the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE competition in April, there were more than 300 teams intending to compete. Now just 33 teams remain in the 3.5-year global competition.
Sponsored by the Qualcomm Foundation, XPRIZE will award $10 million to teams that develop a consumer-friendly mobile device that could change the face of health care.
The SDSU X-Team aims to be one of them.
“It’s really amazing to have made it this far already. I know for a fact we couldn’t have done it without the whole university behind us,” said Lambert Ninteman, an SDSU graduate student and captain of SDSU X-Team. “And it’s even more amazing to think that, as students, we could have a real impact on revolutionizing health care.”
High caliber teams
Many XPRIZE teams consist of industry professionals, researchers and engineers, but SDSU’s team involves more than 30 students – both undergraduate and graduate – representing nearly every college on campus.
“We are excited about the caliber of teams registered in the competition,” said Eileen Bartholomew, senior vice president, XPRIZE. “The diversity among the participants illustrates the wide range of possibilities in delivering breakthrough solutions to empower consumer health management. These teams will play an integral role in driving this new era of personalized health care.”
Futuristic device
Named for the futuristic medical device from “Star Trek,” the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE challenges teams to develop a device that can accurately diagnose a set of 15 diseases, including diabetes, atrial fibrillation, stroke, tuberculosis, pneumonia and hepatitis A, among others.
The device is also expected to capture real-time health metrics including blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature, independent of a health care worker or facility, and in a way that provides a compelling consumer experience.
“One of the exciting things about working on an XPRIZE project is that there are always new challenges to overcome,” said Scott Lindenau, lead developer for the SDSU X-Team. “The team has really come together solving these problems. The hardest thing to do is not spill the beans every time we come up with another novel solution.”
The competition continues
Teams will enter the qualifying round in May 2014 in which they will present their submissions to the judging panel – comprised of a panel of industry experts and thought leaders – for review. Following the judging process, up to 10 teams will advance to the final round in August 2014, where their entries will be evaluated on health assessment and consumer experience by both the judging panel and a consumer testing panel.
Throughout the competition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will offer regulatory input to teams, also helping them prepare for potential FDA review post-competition.
