Technology
Google Pledges $20 Million to Give 3D Prosthetics a Helping Hand
In this Tuesday, March 23, 2010, file photo, the Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
(ZDNet) – Google has promised to pour $20 million in funding in its non-profit Google.org arm to support nonprofits and charities using innovative technology to improve the lives of those with disabilities.
In a blog post written by Jacquelline Fuller, the Director of Google.org on Tuesday, the tech giant announced the launch of the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities project. Google says the scheme is designed to support those living with disabilities, and in order to propel the development of technology which assists the disabled in their daily lives — such as high-tech prosthetics — the company plans to pour $20 million in funding research.
The Google Impact Challenge will seek out nonprofits and help them find new solutions to some serious “what ifs” for the disabled community, according to the blog post. The best of submitted ideas will be supported by the tech giant and given the chance to develop and scale up using the firm’s resources.
To kick off the open call for ideas, Google has awarded funding to two companies which focus on reducing the cost of prosthetic limbs and auditory therapy, which could eventually improve access to these technologies worldwide.
