To boldly go where no one has gone before… @XPRIZE
$10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE Competition

Scanadu is proud to share that it has been selected as one of the Final 10 teams for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 3.5-year global competition for teams to develop a consumer-focused, mobile device capable of diagnosing and interpreting a set of 15 medical conditions and the absence of disease, plus capturing five vital health metrics. The field has narrowed over the course of the competition from 255 in 2012 to 34 in 2013 to the 10 finalist teams announced today. As part of the final round, teams will compete in both diagnostic experience evaluations and consumer testing, slated for mid-to-late 2015. The final judging and awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in early 2016.

Here’s an inside look at what it takes to get to the top:
-16 Health Conditions: The devices are expected to accurately diagnose 16 health conditions – 12 required core conditions plus the absence of disease and a choice of three elective conditions – in addition to capturing five real-time health vital signs, independent of a healthcare worker or facility, and in a way that provides a compelling consumer experience.
-13 Required Core Health Conditions: Anemia, Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes, Hepatitis A, Leukocytosis, Pneumonia, Otitis Media, Sleep Apnea, Stroke, Tuberculosis, Urinary Tract Infection, and absence of condition.
-3 Elective Health Conditions (Choice of 3): Allergens (airborne), Cholesterol Screen, Food-borne Illness, HIV Screen, Hypertension, Hypothyroidism/Hyperthyroidism, Melanoma, Mononucleosis, Osteoporosis, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Shingles, Strep Throat.
-5 Required Health Vital Signs: Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Oxygen Saturation, Respiratory Rate, Temperature.
-Consumers Only: This diagnosis must be performed in the hands of a consumer, independently of a healthcare worker or facility.

Scanadu’s journey to build a medical tricorder started in 2011 in San Francisco, CA. Just a few months later at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE was launched. The Scanadu team was elated – our vision had earned new recognition in the industry. This announcement was vital for Scanadu for several reasons:
* It indicated that time had come to build what was once considered a mythical device
* XPRIZE had licensed the name Tricorder™ from CBS, so the members of the race could use it
* XPRIZE had sought the advice and support of the FDA so that the agency was involved in the proof of concept of the investigational prototype from the start
* XPRIZE was going to source the best minds in the world to build this together. A sort of modern-day, distributed, Manhattan project for mobile medicine.

XPRIZE expects participants to push the envelope beyond where any institution has ever gone before. Nearly every condition requires revolutionary technology to be developed, from the fluidic handling to the sensors to the user interaction.

This is a groundbreaking competition that cannot be won by one team alone. XPRIZE has created a marketplace that has now been pruned to the last 10 teams, three of which will win a prize: First Place $7M, Second Place $2M and Third Place $1M. Together, some of the brightest minds in the industry are working to develop a scientific breakthrough that has the potential to change healthcare as we know it. Winning cannot be done alone, and we are honored to be part of the journey thus far.
Thanks to all of our supporters along the way. To be continued…

Scanadu Team

Walter De Brouwer 1

Scanadu was co-founded by Belgian Walter De Brouwer. Scanadu is located at the NASA Ames Research Park in California. Scanadu is developing consumer health diagnostic devices such as the Scanadu Scout, designed to measure various physiological parameters such as temperature, heart rate, blood oxygenation, respiratory rate, ECG, and diastolic/systolic blood pressure.Scanadu is seeking approval of the device by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before bringing it to market in 2015 to ensure clinical-grade accuracy.Scanadu has received a number of accolades, such as being named as one of VentureBeat’s 26 Amazing Startups You Need to Watch in 2014.