XPrize Founders Launch Tech Innovation Competition

metlin writes "The organizers of the Ansari X-Prize have launched the equivalent of the X-Prize in a variety of technology areas, called the WTN X-Prizes. The idea is to have a series of prizes for important technology challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, which will be judged by the World Technology Network. The website mentions that, 'The concept of the WTN X PRIZES is to utilize the concepts, procedures, technologies and publicity developed X PRIZE Foundation's Ansari X PRIZE competition for space and the global science and technology innovators identification process and community developed by the World Technology Network (WTN) to launch a series of technology prizes seeking to meet the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century.' Sounds like a good idea, maybe this will help make that flying car a reality?"

Zooming out

[n54]

I'm getting a bit worried that the X-Prize people have lost focus. Better to do one thing right at the time as they have with the Ansari X-Prize.

Whats the deal with flying cars?

[ActionJesus]

Seriously... why is having flying cars lauded as "the next big thing" all the time? There are several things that would make travel easier and cheaper, such as electric or hydrogen powered cars. Or, even at the less techinical side of things, an effective public transport system. Also nicer to the environment.

Also, think of the mess you get when theres a car crash on a motorway. Now multiply that by 40 times - thats the mess you get when flying cards run out of fuel and plough into regular traffic.

Instead of worrying about flying cars, lets just try and make the cars we DO have less of a hassle.

Do we really need prizes for this stuff?

[CosmeticLobotamy]

Are we afraid the guy who invents the usable flying car won't be able to sell any? Is there someone with an AI sitting around saying, "If only I could figure out how to make some cash off this?"

The prize for the space travel thing was incentive to do it cheaply, wasn't it? That doesn't work when the hard part is doing it at all.

That said, it's still pretty cool.

Prize for Fuel Cells?

[antivoid]

I feel someone should offer a nice prize for creating an efficient and clean way of producing hydrogen for fuel cell technology. Fuel cells already exist, but the cost, pollution and work involved in producing the hyrdogen required to run a fuel cell is prohibitive. If cheap and clean hydrogen production was achieved, we would be able to stop burning fossil fuels, the world would be a cleaner place, and stuff like flying cars could very well become a reality due to the sheer amount of power fuel cells can produce.

Flying car?

[Hittite Creosote]

I'd hope they come up with real 21st century ideas, rather than rehashing old 20th century ones. Besides, what's the point of being able to fly to work when you still can't find anywhere to park? Anyway, the real problem isn't making a cheap flying machine as much as making it safe for the average person to control it - so what they'd really need are AI pilots, rather than flying cars.

Re:Important technology challenges

[Capt'n Hector]

it's as simple as unplugging the ethernet cable and using a Linux or OS X box to surf.

Oil?

[Anonymous Coward]

I just hope one of the prizes is for a technology to help us kick our oil addiction... Peak Oil is coming people!

Innovations are nice, but . . .

[Gabrill]

We already have lots of innovation in raw technology. The problem is that they're not economically feasable. The next prizes should be given to the company (or individual) who brings a next generation technology to the masses.

A true highway autopilot in a sub $30k car

Safe fog and rain navigation for the same car

Economic and RELIABLE robotic assembly lines

Stuff like that.

Potable water

[Rxke]

Cheap ways to purify water etc.
The much-talked about global water-crisis in the making needs some attention.

Crazy ideas aplenty: Thinking of Dune: the big 'stills, that take moisture out of the air and cool it, so it condenses, comes to mind. But something like that would be possible to build with simple stuff... In 'underdeveloped' nations...

Re:Zooming out

[dnnrly]

Since the X-Prize has been won now, they technically don't have any focus any more. But I do agree that they shouldn't let their new challenges get too confused. It could easily go 1 of 2 ways now, losing focus, letting the differences between challenges blur and being ignored as they wrestle with internal management and resource issues OR effectively splitting the new challenges up and providing clear and acheivable goals that will inspire people to going out there and win.

In my ill considered and completely unprofessional opinion, they should have different fields such as green automotive, green air transport, automated land transport etc. and each field have no more that 1 or 2 challenges such as "first to do X" and "the highest/biggest/best Y by date Z".

Re:Important technology challenges

[Skadet]

I gave up moderation on this thread to make this point -- so listen up, bitches.

Why is this +5 insightful? It's not offering insight into making Windows more secure; it's a knee-jerk /. reaction to any Windows security comment -- and a bad one at that.

For example, unplugging the ethernet cable would render the box useless in a home network. It's analogous to saying, "Can't write with your left hand? Cut it off and use the right hand instead!".

Please. It's +interesting at best, but in no way insightful.

Re:Do we really need prizes for this stuff?

[squaretorus]

Theres one thing to have an idea, to have the motivation, to have the ingenuity and the focus. It's quite another to have the money and time to actually DO anything about it.

Finding a funder can be a bitch - prizes like this mean that the funder has a second bet on - firstly they are betting the flying car will make money - second they are betting that the prize itself will give them some additional publicity.

Imagine HP spending a few million on an Xprize entry for... well... anything. Thats a fraction of an advertising budget. They will sink the money more quickly based on a prize timescale and the reduced 'risk'.

At least I _think_ thats the theory of this kind of prize.

Ethanol or biodiesel

[spineboy]

offer the prize for making a working ethanol (or bio diesel)production plant that has a lower cost of energy than say a 30 dollar barrel of crude oil. As far as fuel cells go, I guess adding fuel cell tech to efficiently use ethanol, would be useful.

Re:Zooming out

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering that the X-Prize was one at a loss of 2-3 times the winnings...

No it wasn't [bbc.co.uk].

Allen will make back MORE than his original investment with the prize money plus the Virgin Galactic deal, PLUS there are other groups queueing up to license the tech. It's starting to look like a pretty smart investment.

How about feeding the entire World?

[Anonymous Coward]

... sure it isn't as "cool" but is the greatest problem facing humanity.

One option

[Augoeides]

I believe one very good place to start off would be IT development in the poorest of the poor countries (which is one of the UN's goals for the millenium). The reason is that, as others pointed out, the X Prizes work best when used to increase incentive for things we already know how to do. This could improve the lives of people living in these countries AND make us, as a species, better able to know what we know.

Advances?

[builderbob_nz]

maybe this will help make that flying car a reality?

Oh God I hope not. It is bad enough now with drivers not watching what they are doing in two dimensions and now you want to add a third!? The day that they let the average Joe Blogs drive a flying car is the day I give up driving and to back to walking/cycling/public transport - I'll live longer!

Re:Do we really need prizes for this stuff?

[Atzanteol]

I think the prize is more psychological than anything else. It's not so much about the money (AFAIK the X-Prize didn't cover the cost of building/flying SpaceShipOne).

It's the *challenge* that matters. I say "I bet $500,000 that nobody can build a flying car" and it gets attention. Now there will be people out there to prove me wrong. Like the space race between the USA and USSR. And there wasn't even a prize! Just the competition and the challenge.

That's what the X-prize does. Creates a challenge, and competition. We humans operate best in that environment.