Friday, October 15, 2004
The WTN X Prize
Clearly inspired by the success of the Ansari X prize in promoting private space flight, the World Technology Network (WTN) and the X Prize Foundation are asking the public for help (with ideas) in creating a series of X Prizes to tackle the foremost challenges facing humanity today. The BBC has more.
The submissions are likely to centre around some major "holy grails" in health, information and communications technologies, alternative energies and the environment, and material sciences, including nanotechnology. In the three days after the prizes were announced last week, there were already hundreds of submissions, said Mr Clark. So far, they have ranged from new forms of transportation to cures for paralysis and neurological diseases, and solving world starvation.
The website where ideas can be submitted lays out the details of the kinds of submissions it is looking for, from academic, corporate researchers or individuals. It admits the task of finding science and technology's "Holy Grails" are not that simple, stressing that proposals must have a good chance of succeeding within a reasonable timescale.
The WTN is a meeting point and virtual think-tank made up of hundreds of global individual and corporate researchers, organisations and businesses, working on every aspect of science and technology innovation. Each year, new members are peer-selected and are awarded prizes for their achievements. This year, winners included Skype, the voice-over-IP service. Other winning highlights included the prototype of an artificial silicon retina which contains a microchip powered only by light.
The submissions are likely to centre around some major "holy grails" in health, information and communications technologies, alternative energies and the environment, and material sciences, including nanotechnology. In the three days after the prizes were announced last week, there were already hundreds of submissions, said Mr Clark. So far, they have ranged from new forms of transportation to cures for paralysis and neurological diseases, and solving world starvation.
The website where ideas can be submitted lays out the details of the kinds of submissions it is looking for, from academic, corporate researchers or individuals. It admits the task of finding science and technology's "Holy Grails" are not that simple, stressing that proposals must have a good chance of succeeding within a reasonable timescale.
The WTN is a meeting point and virtual think-tank made up of hundreds of global individual and corporate researchers, organisations and businesses, working on every aspect of science and technology innovation. Each year, new members are peer-selected and are awarded prizes for their achievements. This year, winners included Skype, the voice-over-IP service. Other winning highlights included the prototype of an artificial silicon retina which contains a microchip powered only by light.
