Google puts 10 million dollars into world-changing ideas

Google on Friday named five groups that will be sharing 10 million dollars that the Internet powerhouse is investing in ideas that promise to change the world.

More than 150,000 ideas from 170 countries were submitted to "Project 10-to-the-one-hundredth" launched two years ago, Google vice president of marketing Lorraine Twohill said in a blog post announcing the results.

Google whittled the selection down to 16 "big ideas" and the public got to vote online to determine the five that would be backed by the Mountain View, California-based firm.

The non-profit Khan Academy will get two million dollars to bolster its free online library of educational videos and translate core works into the world's most widely spoken languages.

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cape Town will get two million dollars to open more centers to promote graduate level math and science study on that continent.

Non-profit group FIRST that promotes science and math study worldwide through team competitions will get three million dollars to start a robotics program for students.

Google will give two million dollars to Public.Resource.Org to support a Law.Gov initiative to make US court documents, statutes, legal forms, and other government documents easily available to anyone online.

The final award of one million dollars went to New Zealand-based startup Shweeb to develop and test a transportation system based on personal monorail pods powered by pedaling the way one might while riding a bicycle.

"We've learned that it takes quite a bit of effort and time to move from 150,000 ideas to five funded projects, but are excited about the potential of the ideas and projects you helped us choose," Twohill said.

"We encourage you to follow the progress of these projects."

(c) 2010 AFP