Dean Kamen is Calling All Mobile Innovators

The name Dean Kamen may not ring a bell.

And you may not be familiar with the multitude of innovations that Kamen has been involved with over the years – like the iBOT all-terrain wheelchair, a mobile dialysis machine called the AutoSyringe, the first insulin pump or the brain-controlled prosthetic limb called the Luke Arm.

Regardless of your level of familiarity, I’m sure everyone at some point has marveled at his most famous invention: the Segway personal transporter.

Driven by the desire for innovations that change people’s lives and recognizing the possibilities of the emerging mobile space, Kamen has partnered with Nokia for Calling All Innovators, a competition that challenges young developers to explore how mobile applications can benefit society.

Calling All Innovators is putting up $150,000 in cash and prizes and distribution assistance for the winning applications in a quest for mobile phone applications “that solve real problems that face real people.” All submissions are required to run successfully on Nokia devices, the S60 and/or Series 40 platforms, and need to be focused in one of three areas:

Eco-Challenge which seeks mobile devices, software and services that reduce our impact on the environment.

Emerging Markets which seeks mobile services that could impact the daily lives of the millions of people in developing nations – including improvements in the delivery of health information, education, literacy, agricultural information as well as other areas.

Technology Showcase – which seeks cutting-edge applications that enhance the mobile experience. Regardless of the purpose or the development platform, if it runs on S60 or Series 40 Nokia, Calling All Innovators wants to see it.

In addition to the prize money and distribution help, winners will also be given the opportunity to showcase their applications at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain where they will also be part of a “meet and great” with industry leaders, VCs, Mobile Operators and distributors.

So if you or your company is working to develop the next great mobile application, or believe you have already done so, now is the time to answer the call.