star trek scanner tricorder

Building the Tricorder: The race to create a real-life Star Trek medical scanner

Its vision of romantic encounters with aliens and plagues of tribbles may not have come to pass just yet, but Star Trek has proved surprisingly accurate in predicting the future in other ways.

• I replaced my boring workouts with Meta Quest's Supernatural app, and can't imagine going back
• This Finnish startup's new VR headset rivals Apple's Vision Pro - and business users will love it
• Meta's $500 Quest 3 is the mainstream VR headset I've been waiting for, and it delivers
• I tried Apple Vision Pro and it's far ahead of where I expected
• The best VR headsets right now (and they're not just from Meta)

When it comes to technology, the show's gadgets have already become reality in several cases: its communicator predicted the clamshell mobile phone, the food replicator was made real with 3D food printing , and Captain Kirk was using voice input long before Alexa became a household name.

But of all Star Trek's technological imaginings, it's the Tricorder that continues to capture the popular and scientfic imagination: a handheld medical device that could be used to analyse a patient, helping doctors diagnose and treat the crew on the bridge and beyond.

No blood tests, no X-rays, no genetic sequencing: Star Trek's doctors could just point their tricorders at the patient and seconds later work out if they'd succumbed to a cold or the Quazulu VIII virus.

The Tricorder continues to fascinate because it magically solves some of the problems about medicine we still have today: it takes too long, it's expensive, it's uncertain, and the times you need it most -- when you're far from home -- is often when it's unavailable.

People have been trying to make replicate elements of the Tricorder since the 1990s. But it's only in the last few years that the dream of creating a genuine Tricorder-type device has seemed within reach.

The first signs that a medical Tricorder could be more than a sci-fi fantasy coincided with the emergence of the first serious smartphones and tablets. Back in 2007, MIT researchers used a Nokia 770 as the basis for a Tricorder , displaying information from sensor networks, while a few years later, a rash of medical peripherals released for the iPhone offered the hope that Apple's mobile could be turned into a real-life Tricorder .

Such early discussions focused on customising existing mobile hardware to a medical diagnostic device; the first standalone device would be a few years further on.

SEE MORE ON OUR NHS REPORT: VR, AR and the NHS: How virtual and augmented reality will change healthcare

One of the first companies to make a serious attempt at creating a Tricorder was Scanadu, which released a device called the Scout in 2015 .The Scout could measure a handful of vital signs -- blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and temperature -- by being held up to a patient's forehead. It's not quite the Tricorder's no-touch technique, and had no diagnostic capabilities, but it was arguably further towards such a device than any hardware before it. After raising $1.7m on Indiegogo, and several million dollars more from investors , the Scout eventually went on sale. However, the company had released it under the banner of a " research device for investigational use ". When it subsequently failed to win FDA approval -- for unspecified reasons -- the research effectively came to an end, and devices were bricked, leaving buyers furious .

Special Feature

The nhs and technology: how innovation is revolutionizing healthcare (free pdf).

AI and robots, IoT, virtual and augmented reality, and wearables—all are innovative technologies that could boost healthcare and productivity across the NHS. This ebook looks at how these technologies are being implemented and their current and future impact on health services.

Despite the Scout's difficulties, there was no shortage of companies that were looking to succeed were Scanadu had failed.

As befits a potentially game-changing and technologically-complex device, the Tricorder concept had caught Google's eye. Back in 2014, the head of life sciences at what was then Google X, the company's moonshot division, announced a cancer-detection system that would lay the foundations for the creation of a Tricorder. The system that Dr Andrew Conrad announced aimed to use magnetic nanoparticles that would attach themselves to cancer particles; a separate wrist-worn device would measure the particles to detect cancer. The system would over time form part of a real-life Tricorder, Conrad said.

"Instead [of] going to the doctor who says, 'Let me draw blood and in three days I'll call you if there's anything wrong,' the doctor can look and say, 'Oh, I just checked all your blood over this last year, and it looks like your kidneys are good, your liver is good, I don't see any indication of oncologic cells, pretty good, thanks.' ... We want to have a Tricorder where Dr. McCoy will wave this thing and say, 'Oh, you're suffering from Valerian death fever.' And he'd then give some shot in a person's neck and they'd immediately get better. We won't do the shots -- our partners will do the shots. But we're hoping to build the Tricorder," he told Medium at the time.

Since then, Google and its X division have been reorganised: Google's life sciences arm has become Verily, now overseen -- along with Google and other Google spinouts, including Calico -- by a new parent company Alphabet . Conrad remains head of Verily, but his dream of a Star Trek-grade medical device has not come to pass: Verily has yet to showcase any progress on building either the cancer-detection system or the Tricorder itself.

A spokesperson for Verily says its nanoparticles research is still active, but added it had experienced difficulties in the past: "Our nanoparticle research is focused on developing nanoparticles that demonstrate consistent properties. We found that nanoparticles we purchased from third-party manufacturers have been unreliable in research due to inconsistencies."

The $10m prize

Arguably one of the biggest stimulants for building a Tricorder came when chipmaker Qualcomm sponsored the Tricorder XPRIZE , a competition intended to help foster the creation of innovative medical hardware.

Rather than asking for a machine that can read vitals to help diagnose any number of illnesses, the XPRIZE asked for hardware that could diagnose a set list of 13 medical condition, including anaemia and diabetes, as well as monitor a handful of vital signs.

The prize, launched in 2011, was won last year by Basil Leaf Technologies with a device called DxtER , a small unit with a range of specific medical peripherals, including a sensor for heart and lung sounds, an ECG monitor for measuring heart rate and rhythm, and a device for analysing blood glucose and white cell count, a sign of infection and inflammation when raised.

By winning the prize, the inventors -- a group of siblings and others led by Philadelphia-based emergency room physician Basil Harris -- received a $2.6m grant to help take the DxtER from concept to commercialisation.

However, the first publicly available device based on this technology is likely to have a far smaller scope than Bones' Tricorder. Basil Leaf Technologies is working on creating a monitoring device for a single disease state, congestive cardiac failure (CCF), that a patient could keep with them at home to help monitor the progress of their condition. The aim is for a person with CCF, a chronic condition, to interact with the device a couple of times a day, and that information to be sent back to a medical professional to review. With such longitudinal monitoring, a doctor can monitor the patient's progress regularly without having to ask them to take time out of their days to come in for regular check-ups.

"A diagnostic device that can diagnose one of 13 medical conditions is not really that viable -- a first year medical resident can diagnose 75 to 100 medical conditions. We just designed something to win a prize, but it's not something that's useful out in the marketplace yet. And if you think about how the FDA in the United States approves medical devices, if we sought an approval for a medical device that did a large collection of medical conditions, it would take aeons to be approved. From a strategic point of view, we changed our strategy and said let's focus on one disease state," Phil Charron, head of user experience at Basil Leaf Technologies, tells ZDNet.

SEE MORE ON OUR NHS REPORT: Why the NHS is killing paper records to save lives

Nonetheless, Basil Leaf Technologies is still working towards creating a Tricorder in the way that most people think of it: a single device that can diagnose a range of conditions. For a real-life Tricorder to serve as a universal diagnostic tool in the way that Star Trek envisioned, it would need to be able to analyse far more biomarkers than the DxtER currently does.

Handily, scientists are also working on expanding the capabilities of Tricorder-like devices. Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Glasgow created a handheld sensor device based on a CMOS chip that can analyse a number of metabolites in blood or urine, analysing them to diagnose conditions including heart attacks.

Elsewhere, companies are working on creating Tricorder type hardware with a focus on infectious disease: the Q-POC, made by QuantumDx, is expected to launch next year, and brings handheld diagnostics for bacterial and viral infections. The idea of the Q-POC is putting short-read genetic sequencing into a device the size of a smartphone: with a sample of bodily fluid, the reader could pick up not only the nature of an infection, like TB, but also its resistance to particular drugs. The technology already exists and is in common use, but shrinking it down to a device that can fit in a pocket is QuantumDx's real challenge.

The fact that the company has had to put back the Q-POC's launch date from 2016 to 2019 shows that miniaturisation is no small task. In fact, it's one of the key challenges that exists for building a Tricorder: the technology that doctors use to diagnose illnesses already exists, but it often exists in large, discrete machines, often spread around different parts of a hospital. Tricorders have to bring all of those capabilities into a single device that can be carried by one person.

"Most of the technologies that exist out there we can turn into something we can put into the patient's hands, I think that [the challenge] is more about shrinking the technologies that exist. A lot of the things that a physician can do in a regular exam room we put in a Tricorder. Labs and radiology -- that's the difficult thing to shrink down into a Tricorder," Basil Leaf Technologies' Charron says.

As well as difficulties with hardware, creating the right software for Tricorders is likely a number of years away. Creating algorithms that can diagnose certain conditions from a tight set of physical biomarkers is one thing, but there's an old adage in medicine that 'if you listen hard enough, the patient will tell you the diagnosis'. To be a universal diagnostic device, Tricorders will not only have to interpret test results, they'll also need software that knows the right questions to ask and unpick the answers they get back: a patient saying they have a tight chest pain and a sharp chest pain might sound similar, but could be the difference between a full blown heart attack or pericarditis -- a painful, but relatively benign, infection of the heart's covering.

"Our expectations about the medical tricorder stem from Star Trek and it's never a good decision to base expectations on science fiction, even though many technologies have become real from science fiction in the 21st century," says Dr Bertalan Meskó, director of The Medical Futurist Institute . And it doesn't mean we won't need doctors, Meskó says.

"There is a reason why we train medical professionals for decades and artificial intelligence-based algorithms, tricorders and many other advanced technologies are designed to upgrade their capabilities so they can use their unique vision, expertise and experience while focusing on the patients. The tricorder should make this possible instead of replacing what physicians do today."

Though the challenges to a medical Tricorder remain substantial, technology companies show no signs of waning enthusiasm for the device. That's because the potential applications for such hardware are huge. Many of the companies working on the tech today envision their machines being used by healthcare staff that aren't doctors to go do some of the run-of-the-mill diagnostic legwork, calling in doctors only for the trickiest of cases.

And, aside from managing consultants' workloads better, Tricorders could potentially make a much more significant contribution to medicine. Imagine an area -- be it in rural Europe or rural Africa -- where population density is lower, and the provision of medical care is even more sparse. Instead of having to drive for hours or even days to find a doctor the next time you take sick, a Tricorder in the home or local clinic could help you to decide whether you need to get to the nearest A&E or take a couple of aspirin and sleep off the fever.

"A working tricorder could bring about a new era in medicine," says Meskó.

Instead of expensive machines and long waiting times, information would be available immediately. Physicians could scan a patient, or patients could scan themselves and receive a list of diagnostic options and suggestions. "Imagine the influence it could have on underdeveloped regions. It should not substitute for medical supervision, but when there is none it comes in handy. Also, it would make the biggest promise of digital health real: making patients the point-of-care. Technologically, it's absolutely viable," says Meskó.

Perhaps the most interesting use of the Tricorder takes us right back to the device's sci-fi conception. Should humans ever attempt more long-distance space travel, a Tricorder would be a must: a manned mission to Mars could see astronauts travel for weeks or months without access to the full repertoire of medical support.

A sufficiently advanced Tricorder could help astronauts keep in good health during the journey. Without it, it's hard to imagine how the next generation of astronauts will be able to boldly go where no one has gone before.

PREVIOUS AND RELATED COVERAGE

Smart watches, fitness trackers and the NHS: Are wearables just what the doctor ordered?

While more and more of us are wearing fitness trackers, the real benefits of wearables may come from another quarter.

Why the NHS is killing paper records to save lives

The NHS still relies on paper for many patient records. Getting rid of it could free up time, and money.

Robots and the NHS: How automation will change surgery and patient care

The rise of robots is inevitable in healthcare, but for now, keeping it simple is just what the doctor ordered.

VR, AR and the NHS: How virtual and augmented reality will change healthcare

Against a background of growing enterprise adoption of virtual reality, mixed reality and similar technologies are beginning to gain a foothold in the NHS.

AI and the NHS: How artificial intelligence will change everything for patients and doctors

The rise of artificial intelligence is set to reshape the health sector as we know it, from back office to doctor's office.

IoT and the NHS: Why the Internet of Things will create a healthcare revolution

The Internet of Things must be one of the most high-profile technology trends of the last five years. Could IoT be the backbone of the NHS of the future?

NHS and technology: Making the case for innovation

Physician, reboot thyself! The health service is caught between its creaky past and a shiny future. But change is needed, and fast.

Healthcare security nightmare: UK's NHS lost nearly 10K patient records last year (TechRepublic)

Despite having electronic record systems in place, 94% of NHS Trusts still use handwritten notes for patient record keeping, according to a report from Parliament Street.

Omron Healthcare Blood Pressure Monitor (CNET)

This gadget from Omron Healthcare is worn around your wrist, displays the time, tracks your steps -- and monitors your blood pressure, too.

The best radar detectors you can buy

The best android smartwatches you can buy: expert tested, meta releases openeqa to test how ai understands the world, for home robots and smart glasses.

A real-life medical tricorder: XPrize wants to make it so

From CNET Magazine: An XPrize competition aims to turn a 50-year-old science fiction concept into a powerful medical device that's accessible to all.

If you've ever watched "Star Trek," you've probably coveted one of the ingenious gadgets carried by those polyester-wearing space travelers. Much of the sci-fi series' futuristic tech is the stuff of dreams. But one device, in particular, has always seemed to have life-changing potential. In the "Star Trek" universe, the medical tricorder is an indispensable tool -- a handheld portable scanning device that diagnoses medical conditions within seconds.

This fictional device could solve age-old dilemmas. A typical visit to the doctor today isn't easy: drive to the doctor's office, wait up to an hour in the lobby before an assistant checks your vitals, wait for the doctor to come in and ask questions, travel to have your blood drawn, then wait up to a week for results. And this scenario assumes a lot, not the least of which is that you live near a doctor, have health insurance, can afford to pay the bills and a job flexible enough to let you off work. To simplify the onerous process, the XPrize Foundation is attempting to turn the decades-old tricorder dream into a modern medical reality.

XPrize doesn't shy away from an audacious challenge. This nonprofit organization holds competitions designed to make significant technological breakthroughs in a variety of fields -- all with an eye toward addressing major global challenges. XPrize competitions have focused on everything from private space travel or building a lunar lander to finding more effective ways to clean up oil spills. The Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize competition, announced in 2012 and in its late stages now, will award $10 million in prizes to teams that make a real-world medical diagnostic device inspired by the "Star Trek" tricorder.

The goal is to make a lightweight, easy-to-use device that can monitor key health indicators as well as diagnose much more serious problems. To meet the challenge, tricorders must be able to track five basic vital signs -- such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature -- in real time and for at least 72 hours straight. They must accurately diagnose 13 "core" conditions, including diabetes, Hepatitis A, stroke and tuberculosis. In addition to those, teams are required to pick three "elective" conditions for diagnosis, ranging from HIV or melanoma to whooping cough or strep throat. The devices need to be able to send that data to the cloud so patients and doctors can access and talk about the results. And that all has to happen with one device that weighs less than 5 pounds, including all of its necessary chargers and attachments.

That's an ambitious goal. "We have to create a system that is verifiably safe and that works at a very high, clinical level. And it has to have a very futuristic consumer experience," said Robert Kaul, the president and CEO of Cloud DX, a Toronto-based company that is competing in the XPrize challenge. "Every one of those [goals] is a huge challenge, but creating all of those in six to eight months is crazy."

Another competitor put it more simply: "It's like giving people a bicycle and saying the first one to Mars wins," said Walter De Brouwer, CEO of Scanadu, which is both a company in Silicon Valley and a team participating in the challenge.

But a lot of smart people are giving it a shot. When the challenge was announced at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show , more than 300 teams registered. A tough selection process whittled down that group to 10 finalists from around the world remained. Now the group is even smaller. In April, two of those teams (Scanadu in California, and Zensor, based in Ireland) combined efforts to work as one team, making a total of nine teams gunning for the top prize.

The teams are making fast progress. They've developed working prototypes that are currently being tested by actual patients at the UC San Diego Medical Center so doctors and the competing teams can learn how these devices might fare in the real world. Those consumer tests work in two ways. First, patients already have known conditions, which allows judges to test the accuracy of the tricorders' diagnoses. Second, they also can offer real-world feedback on how well the products are designed and how easy or hard they are for regular people to figure out.

Not as seen on TV

In concept, the similarities to the medical tricorders on "Star Trek" are apparent. And associating the competition with the franchise was a highly strategic move by XPrize. Part of the purpose of these competitions is to make great technological advances, but another equally important goal is educating the world about critical problems, said Grant Campany, senior director of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize Challenge. There are 40 million people in the world who call themselves trekkies, according to Campany. So by creating a real-life version of a prominent "Star Trek" device, the foundation knew they'd catch the attention of a huge audience from the beginning.

But the devices that come out of this competition won't necessarily look like the ones that graced the sick bays of the starship Enterprise. For one thing, teams took different approaches to solving this problem. And because they'll be testing for so many factors, devices need a variety of sensors and attachments.

Measuring heart rate, for example, typically requires attaching sensors to the skin. For blood pressure, an arm cuff or wristband is standard; for bloodwork, a finger prick test. These all might require special components beyond a basic handheld unit like those used on "Star Trek." And the requirement that vital signs have to be monitored continuously for three days means patients would have to sleep with the product attached to them.

Cloud DX considered all their options. "We looked at sleeves, wrist cuffs, gloves, combinations of biosensors adhered to the body," said Kaul.

When measuring heart rate, Cloud DX didn't want to use the sticky adhesive that's typically used to attach sensors to a patient's chest because, well, it gets itchy. After testing many approaches -- and yes, sleeping in them -- their team settled on the idea of a collar that goes around the back of a patient's neck, with weighted sensors that hang down over his chest.

To measure temperature and oxygen saturation, they designed a small device -- reminiscent of a hearing aid or a Bluetooth headset for a mobile phone -- that sits in a patient's ear with a sensor pointing down to the ear drum.

"It's not just about deploying great technology, but it has to be consumer friendly, futuristic and comfortable," said Kaul. And that's not an exaggeration. Nearly half of the teams' final scores will be based on how consumers interacted with the device -- in short, could people figure out how to use it? Did they enjoy using it?

One mission, many sequels

The consumer products that eventually hit store shelves are likely to be diverse. The XPrize competition is essentially a hyper-charged, hyper-focused test bed. Teams are pushing to figure out what works and what doesn't in both long-term health monitoring and disease diagnostics in an insanely short period of time. But when they go on to actually sell these things, it's likely that they'll focus on one area with a more specialized device.

So how will devices like these ultimately fit into people's lives? The initial goal of the XPrize competition was to solve the problem of access, creating inexpensive take-home devices that could make huge strides in rural areas with little access to medical facilities. But they'll do other things too. Once the competition is over, some teams might take their products in different directions.

"In 5 to 10 years, it's very realistic to believe that tricorders will exist in many forms and be available in many places," said Campany. "We're starting out diagnosing 15 conditions. But as teams prepare to go to market, they might just focus on one capability."

Teams are already making those plans, and some have consumer products in the works. Cloud DX is now taking preorders for a vital-signs monitor called Vitaliti. And Scanadu has already announced the Scanadu Scout, a small health monitor designed by Yves Béhar, and the Scanaflo, an at-home urine analysis kit.

Where and how people will buy the tricorders is still a question. Teams envision selling their tricorders in just about any channel that exists, according to Campany. You might go into CVS to buy or rent one. A large healthcare provider like Kaiser Permanente might loan them out to patients who need long-term monitoring. When it comes to products that are more focused on fitness, people might buy them at a big sportswear store, Best Buy or Amazon.

Uncertainties in the prognosis

For all that promise, tricorders have a long way to go. Regulatory approval presents one big hurdle. It's one thing to develop a cool gadget in a lab. But it's another to get legal clearance and bring it to market. Genetics testing startup 23andMe once offered at-home ancestry and genetic health analysis kits but was forced by the Food and Drug Administration to halt the health screenings . In order to avoid similar regulatory snafus, XPrize partnered with the FDA from the very beginning.

"We're pushing the envelope pretty hard here," said Campany. "The last thing in the world we want is to see these devices make profound diagnoses but yet the FDA has no idea how to handle it." At the moment, 18 employees at the FDA volunteer their time to be available for teams with questions along the way. This helps the teams understand how they need to build devices in order to get approval, long before they've gone too far down a road that might turn out to be a dead end. "The access is unprecedented," Campany said.

Another question is how these devices fit in with the doctor-patient relationship. What happens, for example, when the tricorder delivers really bad news? Like, "you've got cancer" news? Normally that news would be delivered by a doctor, who can give immediate advice and information about how they'll tackle the disease. But what happens if a machine is the one making a diagnosis?

And the winner is...

While teams will have to navigate those questions eventually, first they have to make something that works. First-, second- and third-prize winners will be announced in January 2016, on the 50th anniversary of the debut of "Star Trek." Get ready to see a whole new wave of devices designed to help you live long and prosper.

Dara Kerr contributed to this story, which appears in the summer edition of CNET Magazine. For other magazine stories, go here .

• The Inventory

Support Quartz

Fund next-gen business journalism with $10 a month

Free Newsletters

Star Trek’s “tricorder” medical scanner just got closer to becoming a reality

Throughout the myriad voyages of the crews of the Starship Enterprise, medical officers always carried with them a futuristic little device, about the size of a cellphone, that allowed them to diagnose any ailment—alien or otherwise. Just by waving the device, called a tricorder, over the patient’s body, they could get a complete rundown of all vitals and diseases.

XPrize, the nonprofit that ran the competition to get the first privately funded spaceship off the ground and awarded the $10 million prize back in 2004, was similarly interested in incentivizing the development of a tricorder-like medical device. Five years ago, it joined with chip manufacturer Qualcomm to establish a $10 million prize to do just that. And now it has announced the winners.

A team led by Basil Harris, an ER doctor with an engineering doctorate, and his brother George Harris, a network engineer, took home the grand prize. Their group was awarded $2.6 million, with the aim of helping them turn their working concept into a real product. The runner-up, a team led by Chung-Kang Peng, a doctor and professor at Harvard Medical School, and backed by the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer HTC, was awarded $1 million for its effort.

Both teams used a mobile device and a series of connected sensors to measure a range of vital health indicators with ease. While neither system quite had the scope of the original tricorders, the Harrises’ system achieved what the competition asked for—the goal for the competition was to create a device that could diagnose 13 ailments and measure five vital signs at once.

The Harris brothers’ system is made up of a series of 3D-printed devices that pair over Bluetooth to an iPad Mini. The devices come with a large sheet of information on how to use each item, rather like a one-page Ikea manual for personal healthcare. Basil Harris told Quartz that he was inspired to put his past engineering passions to use, while teaming up with his family and friends to design and build the devices in their spare time.

Both finalist teams told Quartz in December that they would pursue commercializing their devices, whether they won or not—and in a first for the XPrize, the organization will help support both teams to do so. The majority of the remaining prize purse that wasn’t handed out to the two groups (some was handed out for milestone achievements during the last four years) will be used to help continue their development, including the necessary consumer testing and regulatory approval. The Roddenberry Foundation, the charitable organization set up by the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, has also pledged an additional $1.6 million to help develop the finalists’ designs.

While the devices are not quite as polished as the ones that Scotty or Dr. Crusher used on their spaceships, they do have the potential to save millions of lives on this planet, especially in areas with meager medical care. There will be hurdles to clear in bringing the devices to consumers—in the US, for example, medical regulation moves slowly; it will likely take years of trials and studies before a product like this could be sold in the US. But it’s entirely possible that in the near future, because of this competition, we could soon have technology that boldly goes where only fictional medical devices have gone before.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.

These ER Docs Invented a Real Star Trek Tricorder

The original 1960s Star Trek series took place in a universe of the future with personal communicators, holograms, and the technology to send humans beyond our solar system. In many ways that future is here. We have smartphones, virtual reality, space travel — and now the tricorder.

In the show, the tricorder was a handheld medical device that could scan a patient, read his or her vital signs, and diagnose problems in minutes. A working prototype invented by a Philadelphia-based emergency room physician Basil Harris may not look like the ones used by Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy and Commander Beverly Crusher throughout the sci-fi series, but it’s advanced enough to offer a medical diagnosis in minutes and anyone can use it.

Related: This Revolutionary Gene-Editing Tool Could Change the World

The device — which won top honors during the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE competition — still needs to undergo more testing and receive regulatory approval before it’s available to consumers. But Harris said that may happen in just a few years and he’s aiming to keep the price around $200.

“It’s doing exactly what I do in the ER,” Harris explains. It starts by continuously monitoring a patient's vital signs and then asks questions through its smartphone or tablet app to better understand the symptoms. “It uses all of that objective information together in the way your doctor would to come up with a diagnosis.”

Out of the box, DxtER looks like a medical kit with an orb-shaped digital stethoscope, an EKG sensor that sticks to your chest, a spirometer to measure lung function, and a finger probe that non-invasively measures glucose, white blood cell count, and other blood tests.

The device's app explains how to use each of the sensors and once attached those sensors send the patient's vital signs to the app for diagnosis. And similar to the tricorder in the shows, the device can diagnose a variety of problems including pneumonia, sleep apnea, diabetes, a UTI, and 30 other conditions.

“It’s really like a complete office visit in a 5-pound box,” Harris says.

He and a team of doctors and engineers have been working on DxtER since 2012. As part of winning April's XPRIZE competition, the team received a $2.6 million to help get the needed regulatory approvals and take the next steps to produce and market the device.

Related: Algorithms Learn From Us, and We Can Be Better Teachers

The capabilities of these devices could dramatically change everyday life for a lot of people, says Grant Campany, project lead for the Tricorder XPRIZE competition.

"[For individuals with chronic dieseases] who have a hard time even getting into the hospital, being able to manage their care from their home is a profound improvement,” Campany says. “Anything we can do to keep people healthy and not at the hospital translates into economic benefit, too.”

In rural areas where communities don’t have access to healthcare facilities, devices like these could have a big impact on the quality of care available, Campany adds. “The opportunity is just completely transformational.”

Harris predicts people will soon use personal medical tricorder devices at home — and that tricorders will play a big role in the future of healthcare.

Making Healthcare Smarter

DxtER is able to analyze and record symptoms as soon as patients first start having them, Harris explains, which means faster and better care.

“Acute ailments could be diagnosed and managed from home — or with improved, focused access in medical facilities," he says. "Many chronic conditions could be better managed, keeping people healthy and out of hospitals."

“It’s really like a complete office visit in a 5-pound box."

Imagine you have a 3-year-old daughter who wakes up Saturday morning with a phlegmy cough and slight fever. You suspect it’s more than a cold, but your pediatrician’s office is closed until Monday. DxtER could quickly tell you whether she has pneumonia and needs to be taken to a 24-hour clinic — or whether she just needs rest, Harris explains.

Or if your aging father who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) one day seems to be more worn out than usual, DxtER could record his vital signs and help decide whether he should go to the emergency room. And if you go to the ER, data from the tricorder will help the doctor better understand the symptoms to decide what care your father needs.

“Five years from now when someone comes into my ER with their tricorder device — whether it’s ours or another one — I want to be able to believe that data and take the next step,” Harris says. The goal is for DxtER to make it easier to deliver higher quality care to more people more efficiently.

The artificial intelligence algorithms DxtER uses to diagnose conditions were based on Harris’ 12 years of clinical experience as an ER doctor. His team also ran several chart review studies during which they compared DxtER’s evaluation of real patient data with the diagnoses those patients received. That data allowed the team to refine the algorithms for DxtER’s AI.

The complete DxtER prototype was tested by XPRIZE for the competition (along with other entries) in a lab at the University of California San Diego.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of evolution and transformation over the next three to five years,” Campany says. The ways we collect health data have transformed over the last decade, making a real tricorder possible, reliable, and affordable, he adds.

Related: The Quest to Create Artificial Blood May Soon Be Over

Another team in the competition, Dynamical Biomarkers Group out of China, plans to market their tricorder device for use in its country's rural villages to facilitate better care where it isn’t available.

The next step for Harris’ team is getting FDA approval for each component of DxtER and then approval of the complete device. They are in the process of launching a trial to validate the safety and effectiveness of DxtER’s finger probe as a non-invasive glucose sensor, hemoglobin sensor, and white blood cell count sensor.

That component alone could dramatically change how people with diabetes manage their condition, Harris says, “saving them from the hassle and pain of multiple finger sticks a day.”

The Power Relies on the Data

Others share Harris’ and Campany’s optimism for tricorder technology, but say the changes won't happen overnight.

“This technology could potentially gain more power when we are able to collect huge amounts of data,” says Dr. Gene Fridman, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who was not involved in developing DxtER or in the XPRIZE competition (but has invented the “ MouthLab ” device, which uses AI to test a person’s vital signs via a small mouthpiece and thumb sensor).

Tricorders won't replace doctors, Friedman says. But the more data they gather and the better the AI is able to predict and diagnose ailments, the more these devices will help individuals at home make smarter decisions about when to get care, which ultimately leads to more efficient and less expensive care overall.

By Friedman's estimates, “in the next 10 to 20 years it’s going to be a big revolution in personal healthcare."

Follow NBC MACH on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .

• The Original Series
• The Animated Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Strange New Worlds
• Lower Decks
• Star Trek Movies
• TrekCore on Twitter
• TrekCore on Facebook

A few weeks ago, company director Chris Barnardo released an initial statement about the tricorder replica’s long development time — the first comments about the project since last July’s announcements — promising more to come as the weeks and months ahead continue.

[You] have been patient, but now an update is long overdue. Work progresses well on the development as we overcome the challenges of creating an exact Tricorder replica that functions properly and is a worthy companion to our Phaser and Communicator. I know that you are going to have hundreds of questions and I hope that these emails, with news and tidbits of development chitchat, will answer most (if not all) of them, as we concentrate our efforts to get this Tricorder manufactured and into your hands. Remember that we are a very small team and are hugely grateful for your patience, so bear that in mind if we don’t have time to answer every question. We can assure you that, as fans ourselves, we are as desperate as you to see this wonderful version of the Tricorder working for fans around the world as soon as possible. I know that we have left you hanging, but I also know that you believe (rightly so) that this is because The Wand Company will not knowingly compromise on the details that make our Tricorder something that you will love, as we leave no stone unturned in our quest to make this the best ever functional replica, which is taking a bit more of our time and concentration that we had bargained for. Over the coming weeks, we are now at last ready to take you on a journey through space and time as, bit by bit, we unravel the steps we have taken to bring this iconic piece to life. So wherever you call home on this pandemic-ravaged planet of ours, I hope you will be able to sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolds.

As part of the first early-March update, Bernardo shared this CAD file illustrating the guts of the planned tricorder replica, teasing fans that it offers “a sneak preview of some of the details and functions” that the finished product will contain.

Following up on that promise for future updates, The Wand Company team shared a lengthy behind-the-scenes breakdown of how they’re utilizing the last remaining original Wah Chang -designed tricorder props from the Original Series — owned by  Star Trek film and television series modelmaker Greg Jein, perhaps most famous for building the  Enterprise- D and other classic Next Generation models.

Greg’s tricorder is one of the two originals that were made by the late, great, Wah Chang in June 1966, long before anyone knew how enduring Star Trek and his prop designs were to become… the one in Greg’s collection is the “Wah A-B” (so-called because parts of the original two “A” and “B” units were swapped around after Season 1).

Meeting in late 2019 (luckily, before the pandemic would have made such efforts a daunting challenge), Jein shared his original screen-used tricorder with the company for laser 3D scanning and other examination processes to serve as base reference material for The Wand Company’s efforts.

The 3D scanning of inanimate objects is more accurately performed with either a laser scanner or a “structured light” scanner. For the tricorder, we used a Hexagon Metrology system comprising a ROMER Absolute Arm with an RS3 laser scanning head. The arm is balanced to enable the operator to move the laser scanner smoothly around the subject, and contains seven precision encoders to keep track of the exact position of the scanning head. As reflective surfaces (such as metal and glass) do not scan well, before the scanning could start, the glossiest parts of this priceless prop were gently spray-coated with a scary-looking but, everyone was assured, totally harmless self-vanishing 3D-scanning spray. Greg oversaw this process to make sure that the prop wasn’t damaged. Under Greg’s patient and watchful eye, the laser scanner’s 65 mm long blade of red light ‘painted’ over the surface geometry of the tricorder, rapidly measuring the distance from the scanning head to the surface 4,600 times per line, plotting highly accurate positional coordinates that stitched together to build up a three-dimensional point cloud of the tricorder’s surface. On a nearby laptop, a 3D image seemed to appear out of thin air as more and more of the surface was scanned.

After checking with Greg that doing so would not damage the prop, Andrew opened the tricorder’s top and bottom doors to peer inside. As expected, the top compartment was almost completely lacking in internal features. Those details – the rack of “memory discs” and the circular moiré element – known now only from what can be seen in first season screencaps, are long gone. At some point in the summer of ’67 after the end of Season 1, the production team decided that they needed more tricorder props.  The two original masterpieces were taken apart so that copies could be made and, in the process, the original props were damaged and eviscerated, with the original guts now lost forever.  Opening the lower door revealed some slightly more interesting details, which Andrew has since been keen to include in our replica.

The 3D scan data is a fantastic resource for guiding our CAD modelling, but we also took as many physical measurements as possible. The measurements provide a good old-fashioned control reference and, equally importantly, handling these classic props always brings us closer to understanding the original designer’s intent. Studying these incredible items with our own hands and eyes helps us to bond with them and become immersed in their story, in a more powerful way than just watching a 3D scan emerge on a computer screen. The 30-micron (just over one-thousandth of an inch) accuracy of the 3D scan data is great for the overall geometry, but even finer resolution is needed to analyse the surface texture of the black Kydex material from which most of the tricorder’s body is made. We had already studied this material when developing our Star Trek Communicator replica, and had been generously loaned a piece of the original 1960s Kydex by HeroComm, which we had been able to scan with a Zygo 3D surface profiler which uses white-light interferometry to measure the surface undulations with an incredible 1-nanometer resolution (a strand of human DNA is 2.5 nanometers thick!).

However, to check the way that Wah Chang’s vacuum-forming process might have stretched the Kydex texture in different regions of the tricorder, we took a few silicone rubber impressions of the surface. For further reference, we weighed the tricorder and, of course, measured the geometry of the strap and its stitching

While there’s still no formal release date or pricing set for The Wand Company’s tricorder prop replica, Bernardo notes that there is still “quite a bit of the story to come” as the months ahead progress towards a reveal of the final product.

Last summer, the company said they were targeting a price point of around $250 USD — quite the bargain for such a replica, as anyone in the collecting arena will tell you — but as more specifics arrive about their final offering, you can be sure we’ll share them here.

If you’re interested in this classic  Star Trek tricorder prop replica, you can register on The Wand Company’s website for more news on the project, and preorder availability, as things move closer to fruition.

• Star Trek: The Original Series
• The Wand Company

Related Stories

New star trek: discovery photos — “mirrors”, interview — sonequa martin-green on burnham’s “face the strange” encounter, lost-for-decades original star trek uss enterprise model returned to roddenberry family, search news archives, new & upcoming releases, featured stories, star trek: lower decks cancelled; strange new worlds renewed for season 4, our star trek: discovery season 5 spoiler-free review.

TrekCore.com is not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated with Paramount, CBS Studios, or the Star Trek franchise. All Star Trek images, trademarks and logos are owned by CBS Studios Inc. and/or Paramount. All original TrekCore.com content and the WeeklyTrek podcast (c) 2024 Trapezoid Media, LLC. · Terms & Conditions

How close are we to a real Star Trek-style medical tricorder?

Prize Fellow in Bioelectronics, University of Bath

Disclosure statement

Despina Moschou receives funding from the British Council-Newton Fund Institutional Links. She is also Managing Director and co-founder of the medical diagnostics company DxOnBoard Ltd.

University of Bath provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

View all partners

Does science inspire fiction or does it work the other way around? In the case of medical technology, the long-running TV and film series Star Trek has increasingly been inspiring researchers worldwide. Two teams were recently awarded the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize for developing handheld devices that can diagnose a range of diseases and check a patient’s vital signs without invasive tests – inspired by Star Trek’s medical “tricorder” device.

In the show, a doctor would use the tricorder and its detachable scanner to quickly gather data on a patient and instantly work out what was wrong with them. It could check organ functions and detect diseases and their causes, and also contained data on a range of alien lifeforms. But how close are we really to using such devices (assuming we don’t need them to diagnose aliens)?

The main aim of the two prizewinners is to integrate several technologies in one device. They haven’t created an all-in-one handheld machine but they do both represent significant steps forward.

The main winner, known as DxtER and created by US firm Basil Leaf Technologies, is actually an iPad app with artificial intelligence. It uses a number of non-invasive sensors that can be attached to the body to collect data about vital signs, body chemistry and biological functions. The runner-up technology from Taiwan’s Dynamical Biomarkers Group similarly connects a smartphone to several wireless handheld test modules that can analyse vital signs, blood and urine, and skin appearance.

The judges said both devices nearly met the benchmarks for accurately diagnosing 13 diseases including anaemia, lung disease, diabetes, pneumonia and urinary tract infection. These are the most successful efforts we’ve seen to bring so many functionalities into a single, user-friendly, portable diagnostic system.

Part of the success is due to the development of a variety of technologies that make up such all-in-one systems, although they still have some way to go. Probably the most advanced are mobile vital signs monitoring devices. For example, the ViSi Mobile System can remotely monitor all core vital signs including blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart rate and electrical activity, and skin temperature. It uses electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors attached to the chest and a pressure sensor in cuffs on the thumb and arm, both attached to a wearable wrist unit that feeds all the signals wirelessly to desktop or mobile device, with the same accuracy as conventional intensive care equipment .

All the various sensor data from a system such as this then needs to be turned into meaningful readings – and that requires specialist software. For example, the Airstrip Technologies software can pull in information from hundreds of different types and brands of patient monitors and other equipment, as well as medical records, scan results and even messaging apps, to display a full picture of patient’s changing condition in real time.

Portable imaging technologies are another element needed to assess a patient and present the relevant information. For example, there are already miniaturized USB-based ultrasound probes that can connect directly to a smartphone to provide instant ultrasound images. With the quality of mobile cameras and image processing capabilities continually improving, this technology is likely to get even better in the near future. This could mean instant X-ray scans or skin abnormality diagnosis using pattern recognition software.

Data and diagnosis

But vital signs information and images aren’t enough for a fully automated device that can tell you what’s actually wrong with a patient. The most mature technology we have in this area is for diabetes monitoring. Portable home blood glucose meters that can test a drop of blood on a paper can already be connected to mobile apps to allow diabetes sufferers to assess the severity of their condition.

Meanwhile, completely non-invasive methods for measuring glucose that don’t involve finger pricking to get a drop of blood are under development. These include analysing sweat or the interstitial fluid located a few micrometres below the skin’s surface (above the pain-causing nerves).

A number of innovative companies around the world are focusing on using similar handheld systems to diagnose other diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, bacterial infections and cardiovascular disease. These rely on the key enabling technology of microfluidics, which uses specially designed microchips to manipulate tiny amounts of liquid.

Commonly known as lab-on-a-chip technology , this allows you to reduce a complete clinical laboratory testing system to a device a few centimetres across. You can take a sample, prepare it for testing (for example by isolating bacteria in the blood) and identify and measure the microbe present.

But while there has been significant progress in the developing bits and pieces of a tricorder, there is still work to do putting them altogether in a genuinely handheld package. Various equipment needs to be miniaturised and we need more progress in portable computers so they can handle all the information and data required for a complete picture of a patient’s health condition. We also need more development of the more thorough diagnostic features, such as the lab-on-chip and portable imaging systems, and less invasive testing methods. We may not have a tricorder in our hands yet, but we are definitely getting closer.

• Medical devices
• Medical technology
• Vital signs

Want to write?

Write an article and join a growing community of more than 182,500 academics and researchers from 4,943 institutions.

Register now

• Astrobiology
• Astrochemistry
• Exoplanets & Exomoons
• Space Life Science
• SETI & Technosignatures
• Tricorders & Sensors
• Advertising

Tricorder Tech: That Star Trek Medical Scanner Is Getting Much Closer

Editor’s note: If you search for a definition for tricorder you’ll find things like this from Wikipedia: “A tricorder is a fictional handheld sensor that exists in the Star Trek universe. The tricorder is a multifunctional hand-held device that can perform environmental scans, data recording, and data analysis; hence the word “tricorder” to refer to the three functions of sensing, recording, and computing.” You’ll also see the term openly used for contemporary medical devices that are used to do quick tests of someone’s health or some mineral’s composition. In Star Trek a physician usually had a smaller device that was connected to a larger tricorder to scan humans for their health status.

Indeed there is already an actual tricorder market in contemporary commerce. If you look at this recent marketing report “ Medical Tricorder Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Regional Outlook, and Forecast 2023 – 2032 “ The authors claim “The global medical tricorder market size was valued at USD 4 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 12.7 billion by 2032, growing at a registered CAGR of 12.3% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.” Their definition of the market: “A medical tricorder is a handheld and a portable scanning device which is used by various consumers to diagnose medical conditions and take the basic body vital measurements within seconds. The market for the medical tricorder is expected to grow during the forecast period due to various cardiovascular diseases and an increase in the awareness of these diseases among the patients.”

In an era of ubiquitous smartphones we’re now expecting more and more functionality with every new model that is released. As we move closer to sending humans to other worlds to search for life, such a device that falls under the general “tricorder” classification would certainly come in handy. Here’s an example of a device – a medical scanner” that you can buy today.

MedWand™ Solutions, Inc. is Transforming Telemedicine with Award-Winning Device and VirtualCare Platform, Now Available

Transforming the current understanding of telemedicine, MedWand combines multiple clinically accurate vitals sensors and an Ultra-HD resolution camera into one, handheld, lightweight device.

Representing a breakthrough in miniaturization and accuracy of medical sensors, MedWand supports eleven examinations required for a comprehensive virtual examination of patient.

MedWand Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce that the company’s groundbreaking MedWand device and VirtualCare ecosystem is commercially available to enable clinical exams with its comprehensive care solutions. Poised to transform the current capabilities of telemedicine, Medwand is offering various kits including: the MedWand Evaluation Kit, the MedWand Mobile Clinic, and the MedWand Remote Clinic. By facilitating a more comprehensive assessment of a patient’s health and an extensive remote diagnosis, Medwand provides the crucial missing link in the delivery of telemedicine. To request a demo today visit www.medwand.com . “I am happy to share that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to the MedWand,” shared MedWand CEO and Co-Founder, Robert Rose. “As a company dedicated to advancing access to quality healthcare, we are proud to offer our innovative solutions to medical facilities worldwide to help lower operating costs, improve health equity, and ultimately save lives.” MedWand has already received widespread interest within the telehealth industry and medical community.

The award-winning company is currently rolling out its solution through strategic partnerships with major health systems, physician groups, and telehealth companies with the below kits:

• MedWand Evaluation Kit- Designed for clinical evaluation of the MedWand device and ecosystem.
• MedWand Mobile Clinic- Designed for physician or home visits and remote patient monitoring applications.
• MedWand Remote Clinic- Designed for remote / regional clinics, transport, and industrial application.

*Prices start as low as $120/month including all hardware, software, and cloud services. Please contact MedWand Sales to request a complimentary quotation. “When it comes to medical diagnostics, clinical accuracy is not just important, but critical, and MedWand’s goal has always been to be the most clinically-dependable telemedicine device in the world,” shared Samir Qamar, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer. “With FDA clearance, clinicians and patients everywhere can trust MedWand’s vitals and remote examination tools, and experience telemedicine on an entirely new level.”

Transforming the current understanding of telemedicine, MedWand combines multiple clinically accurate vitals sensors and an Ultra-HD resolution camera into one, handheld, lightweight device. Data collected include core temperature, blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate, heart, lung and abdominal auscultations, electrocardiogram*, and high definition otoscopic, oropharynx, and dermatoscopic exam images. MedWand VirtualCare Clinic can also provide blood pressure, glucometer, spirometry, weight, and body mass data by instantly connecting to FDA-cleared third party tools.

MedWand’s Virtual Care Clinic software provides a link between MedWand devices and existing Electronic Medical Record and Practice Management Software. Supporting single password sign-in, accepting externally scheduled appointments, and exchanging patient data with the EMR, the Virtual Care Clinic software goes beyond video consultation by offering a comprehensive remote exam. Delivering a unique combination of video consultation, live monitoring, and remote clinical-grade vitals capture, MedWand also provides a platform for future AI based vitals data analysis to enable cost efficient and comprehensive telemedicine services for medical facilities worldwide.

The ergonomic MedWand device and its associated software applications were created by a team of physicians and medical device engineers to enhance the quality and accessibility of health care services for clinicians and patients, regardless of physical location. The company offers MedWand and Virtual Care Clinic solutions for applications that include hospitals, field clinics, nursing homes, schools, and workplaces, wherever Internet access is available.

When patient care depends on telemedicine, choose MedWand. For more information on MedWand visit www.medwand.com . To schedule a private demonstration or to request a formal product quotation please contact MedWand at www.medwand.com/contact.html . For more information on MedWand visit www.medwand.com .

*Electrocardiogram feature is available in select countries, currently awaiting US FDA 510(k) clearance.

About MedWand Solutions, Inc MedWand Solutions, Inc. is FDA-approved device and ecosystem that delivers digital healthcare technologies to enhance the accessibility and quality of healthcare services for clinicians and patients, regardless of location. MedWand was created by a team of physicians and engineers to enhance the quality and accessibility of health care services regardless of physical location. The company will offer its MedWand device, Virtual Care Clinic, and cloud based universal AI diagnostic platform for a wide range of applications that include hospitals, field clinics, nursing homes, schools, and workplaces, wherever Internet access is available.

Astrobiology, space medicine,

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻

• Status Report
• April 20, 2024

• Press Release
• April 18, 2024

• March 27, 2024

• March 21, 2024

• February 29, 2024

• February 27, 2024

• Bill Monthly
• Bill Annually

Medical tricorder

• View history

The medical tricorder was a specialized version of the standard Starfleet tricorder . It was equipped with sensors and analysis software tailored for medical diagnostic purposes. They were usually the first tool a Starfleet doctor utilized when assessing a patient's condition. Medical tricorders could function aboard ship in sickbay as well as on away missions . ( TOS : " The Man Trap ")

• 2 Functions
• 3.1.1 2150s
• 3.2 23rd century
• 3.3.1.1 TR-560 Tricorder VI
• 3.3.1.2 TR-580 Tricorder VII
• 3.3.2.1 TR-590 Tricorder X
• 3.3.2.2 New tricorder
• 3.4.1 23rd century
• 3.4.2 25th century
• 5.1 Merchandise

Features [ ]

Medical tricorders used throughout the years have been essentially similar in design to that of the standard tricorder, with the same available features and interface. The major difference is the addition of a deployable hand scanner. ( TOS : " The Man Trap "; TNG : " When The Bough Breaks ")

Functions [ ]

A comparative medical scan on Platonius

Medical tricorders could be used to perform quick multivariate analysis , such as the comparison of several different blood samples. ( TOS : " Plato's Stepchildren ")

Although very accurate on the living , it is taught in the first year of Starfleet Medical School that medical tricorders are not as accurate on the dead . ( DS9 : " The Passenger ") Additionally, a medical tricorder scan was no substitute for a complete autopsy . ( TNG : " Man Of The People ", " Suspicions ")

A medical tricorder could, in certain instances, provide a recommended course of treatment for an individual in hostile terrain. Captain Lisa Cusak followed the advice of her medical tricorder when stranded on a Class L planet to give herself fifteen CCs of tri-ox every four hours to compensate for the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere . ( DS9 : " The Sound of Her Voice ")

Versions [ ]

22nd century [ ].

Medical tricorders were in use aboard the Enterprise NX-01 during the mid- 22nd century . In 2153 , Doctor Phlox noted that Sim had disassembled Phlox's medical tricorder, when commenting on his aptitude for engineering . ( ENT : " Similitude ")

23rd century [ ]

24th century [ ], tr-560 tricorder vi [ ].

A TR-560 Medical Tricorder VI

The docked hand scanner

The hand scanner in use

The medical tricorder in use by 2364 was essentially similar in design to that of the standard TR-560, a flip-open device with the same available features and interface. The major difference was the addition of a deployable hand scanner tucked into a module at the very top of the tricorder. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Naked Now ") The scanner could provide detailed scans of an entire individual, or give focus to a single area. ( TNG : " When The Bough Breaks ")

Genetically-engineered microviruses were not generally detected by a standard medical TR-560 scan. ( TNG : " The Vengeance Factor ")

Dr. Katherine Pulaski used the hand scanner independent from the tricorder while on an away mission to the Mariposa colony in 2365 . ( TNG : " Up The Long Ladder ")

This version of the tricorder was mostly supplanted by the TR-580 Tricorder VII in late 2366 , although at least one unit was used aboard the USS Enterprise during the autopsy of Lieutenant Joshua Kelly in early 2369 . ( TNG : " Realm Of Fear ")

TR-580 Tricorder VII [ ]

Medical tricorder TR-580 in 2369

By late 2366 , Starfleet R&D introduced this iteration of the tricorder, which was very similar in design to the previous version, but had a slightly altered color scheme and interface font. ( TNG : " Transfigurations ") It was not necessary to use the scanner for the TR-580 to function. The scanner could be separated from the tricorder, either to feed data to another source, or not be attached to the tricorder at all. ( DS9 : " Babel "; VOY : " Time and Again ") The medical tricorder was also designed to work closely with surgical support frames attached to biobeds . ( TNG : " Identity Crisis ")

The medical kit introduced during 2368 had a special slot to hold a medical tricorder, allowing access to the tricorder without opening the case. ( TNG : " I Borg ")

Medical tricorders also contain reference medical knowledge, including pregnancy delivery. ( TNG : " Disaster ")

The medical sensor unit was equipped with additional sensor ports. In conjunction with a neural pad, a medical TR-580 could be used to link the nervous system of a healthy individual to that of an injured individual in order to stabilize the injured for transport . Doctor Beverly Crusher used a tricorder to link Geordi La Forge to stabilize the patient known as John Doe . ( TNG : " Transfigurations ")

The tricorder could be used to record audio. Dr. Crusher used a tricorder to record mysterious voices she heard in her quarters while the Enterprise was trapped in a temporal causality loop in 2368 . ( TNG : " Cause And Effect ")

This version of the medical tricorder was equipped with holographic imaging diodes. When Captain Jean-Luc Picard completed a computer program left behind by the ancient humanoids , the program reconfigured the tricorder to display a holographic message. ( TNG : " The Chase ")

These tricorder models could be configured to remotely open doors and briefly disrupt a force field . Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard used a medical tricorder for these functions when escaping a Kes holding cell in early 2370 . ( TNG : " Attached ")

Shortly after being activated in 2371 , The Doctor requested a tricorder from Harry Kim and expressed irritation when Kim handed him a normal tricorder rather than a medical one. ( VOY : " Caretaker ")

TR-590 Tricorder X [ ]

The Mark X medical tricorder

Introduced along with the Mark X standard tricorder, a medical tricorder variant was in use aboard Federation starships as early as 2372 .

TR-590 medical tricorder in 2378

Generally identical to the standard tricorder, the medical featured a detachable hand scanner (as in previous models) that fit into the back of the unit. The indicator lights on the top of the unit varied in color from red to yellow to blue. ( Star Trek: First Contact ; VOY : " Favorite Son ", " Prey "; DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire "

The model imagined by Seven of Nine

In 2374 , Seven of Nine described a medical tricorder she imagined in the following manner: " Duritanium casing. Seven point six centimeters by nine point eight centimeters by three point two centimeters. Alphanumeric display " ( VOY : " Retrospect ")

Hypochondriac William Telfer obtained a medical tricorder for his own personal use on the USS Voyager , despite the fact that he should not have been in possession of one. ( VOY : " Good Shepherd ")

New tricorder [ ]

Medical tricorder, 2379

Medical tricorder, 2384

Introduced as late as 2379 , yet another iteration of Starfleet tricorder departed from the distinct, flip-open style preceding it.

Distinguished by a slim, PADD-like appearance, the tricorder in use aboard such Starfleet vessels as the Enterprise -E in the late 2370s featured a large touchscreen interface. Silver in color, it was trimmed with black pads at the bottom and sides, with several buttons at the top. These buttons could be covered by a small hinged door, lined with indicator lights. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Alternate timelines [ ]

Tricorder and scanner (above)

In 2258 of the alternate reality , the medical tricorder consisted of a scanning rod and handheld feedback monitor. ( Star Trek ) The following year , the scanner had been redesigned into a white oval-shape reminiscent of the previous monitor, and could be stored inside a normal tricorder. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

25th century [ ]

A medical tricorder in 2404

In a timeline erased due to the actions of Admiral Kathryn Janeway , a new version of the medical tricorder was in use by the year 2404 .

An extension of the Mark X model, this tricorder featured the familiar hinged cover design, but contained more touch control surfaces in place of toggle switches. It featured a small handheld antenna scanner. ( VOY : " Endgame ")

See also [ ]

• Starfleet tricorder

Background information [ ]

Gates McFadden , who played Dr. Beverly Crusher, requested a standard set of operating guidelines for props on Star Trek: The Next Generation . In response, illustrator Rick Sternbach developed a tricorder user guide, which was later incorporated into the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (page 120).

Merchandise [ ]

In 1997, Playmates Toys produced a version of the TR-580 as part of their toy line. Several action figures throughout the run of the line were packed with miniature versions of medical tricorders as accessories.

Diamond Select Toys released a TOS edition of the medical tricorder.

• Accessories
• Entertainment
• PCs & Components
• Wi-Fi & Networks
• Newsletters
• Digital Magazine – Subscribe
• Digital Magazine – Log in
• Smart Answers
• Best laptops
• Best antivirus
• Best monitors
• Laptop deals
• Desktop PC deals

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence .

How to transform your smartphone into a real-world Star Trek tricorder

When the first flip-top phones appeared in the ‘90s, prompting amazed gasps of, “Hey, this is just like the communicator in Star Trek !” it felt like we were on the cusp of an amazing sci-fi future. These days, however, James T. Kirk’s handy interstellar mobile device looks a bit clunky—and it’s shamefully low on functionality. With no text or web capability, the communicator’s only uses are voice calls and the occasional deployment as a medium-yield timed explosive.

To compete with today’s phones we’ll have to turn to another bit of Star Trek equipment: the tricorder . Fans will know the tricorder as the palm-sized (at least by The Next Generation ) device filled with enough sensors and computers to scan the surrounding area, allowing its wielder to deliver whatever exposition the  Star Trek writers needed the audience to know.

Sure, the tricorder might seem like a convenient plot device, but your own humble phone has a surprising quantity of sensors and computing power at its disposal. With a few choice app installations you can leverage that power fully. Soon you will be the one scanning for new life forms and subspace disturbances.

It’s life, Jim…

One tool on your phone that’s only going to become more powerful is photo recognition. The more photos we take and upload, the more data computers have to learn from, the more accurate their guess work gets.

Apps such as Tree ID , from the Woodland Trust in the UK, and Leafsnap on the iPhone use visual recognition techniques on a photo you take of a tree’s leaves to identify its species.

For a more practical (if potentially alarming) photo-recognition trick, you can use your phone as a medical tricorder and install the Lubax app to photograph any worrying moles, spots, or lesions and receive a diagnosis—although we wouldn’t advise substituting that for visiting an actual, real-life, non-holographic doctor.

If you’re merely looking to detect life forms rather than identify them—handy for finding pesky xenomorphs on your ship—you can track them with a motion detector app. Or take a closer look at things using one of the various magnifier apps on the market. Or say you want to establish the size or distance of an approaching alien, you can do so with Smart Measure . It uses a combination of your phone camera and some high school trigonometry to measure sizes and distances at the tap of a touchscreen.

I’ve detected an anomaly

Those are all clever ways of using your phone’s camera, but there’s a lot more to your phone than that. You’re carrying a positive laboratory of scientific instrumentation in your pocket. For instance, starting with the obvious, your phone can pick up and measure sounds. Apps like Sound Meter allow you to monitor volume up to 100 decibels.

Magnetic Field Detector

More recent phones even have internal temperature sensors. Smart Thermometer allows you to access that sensor and track temperatures. But some of your phone’s sensors can be a little bit more esoteric. The Magnetic Field Detector app, for instance, lets you measure the location and strength of magnetic fields. You know what has magnetic fields? Metals like steel and iron. Oh snap, now your phone’s a working metal detector!

Hailing frequencies open

More than that, your phone can track satellites. Satellites in space .

We don’t need to tell you that with Google Maps you already have access to a complete photorealistic map of the planet Earth and your position on it (which, by the way, is maybe a function the Enterprise should have used a little more often on their own tricorders). But that tracking works two ways. With GPS Status & Toolbox you can find the position of satellites, the strength of signal you’re getting off of them, the speed they’re travelling at, and more.

Boldly going where others have gone before

Of course, if all that sounds like too much work (not to mention storage space) you can cut a lot of corners and simply download the Scientific Sci-Fi Scanner app.

The “sci-fi scanner” has access to a great deal of scientific data, including solar wind plasma readings from the  US ACE satellite, the last 10 months of land surface temperature, sea surface temperature, vegetation index, chlorophyll concentration data, meteorological data, and magnetometer readings. All this data is displayed through an easy-to-read interface that, by some kind of huge coincidence, happens to look almost exactly like the computer interfaces in a TV show we can’t remember the name of.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Aug 30, 2014

Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE Announces 10 Finalists

True gamesters and lovers of risk and reward, take note! The finalists in Earth’s $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE have been announced. Tune your temporal scanners to the 21st Terran century and observe: a field of 22 worthy competitors has been narrowed to 10, only one of which can be crowned the ultimate victor. Their challenge: to create an affordable, portable, wireless scanning device not unlike the medical Tricorder currently used by doctors onboard Starfleet vessels. Limited to the technology of that era, the device must weigh no more than five pounds, be usable by everyday citizens, monitor five vital signs, and accurately assess 15 different medical conditions — a challenge well worth the $10 million prize purse, comparable to some 10 million quatloos.

Danvantri (Chennai, India)

Team Danvantri derives its name from the god of Ayurvedic medicine who also serves as physician to the Hindu divine. Led by Sridharan Mani, Danvantri's members have over 200,000 man-hours of experience in IT and embedded systems. "We hope to create a platform for transforming healthcare, making health a part of individuals' daily lives, and helping everyone to stay healthy and fit independent of visits to clinics." Their current device, which incorporates all-in-one blood pressure, temperature, and pulse oximetry, is awaiting clinical trials; the next phase will see the integration of ECG and blood chemistry analysis, among other things.

DMI (Cambridge, MA) Though it's not strictly part of the requirements, Team DMI's rHEALTH Sensor has already been tested in space. Dr. Eugene Chan, founder and president of the DNA Medicine Institute and holder of over 40 patents, may simply be thinking ahead. "We believe that fundamental change in medicine needs to be driven by advances in technology. In particular, we share the vision that consumers are the best advocates for their own health, and when empowered, will be able to take care of themselves in ways that we have yet to imagine. This will ultimately lead to lower healthcare costs, better care, and longer lives." The current version of the rHEALTH sensor is designed to assess hundreds of clinical tests using a single drop of blood or other bodily fluid.

Dynamical Biomarkers Group (Zhongli City, Taiwan) The Dynamical Biomarkers Group hails from the Center for Dynamical Biomarkers and Translational Medicine at Taiwan's National Central University. Their leader, Chung-Kang Peng PhD, happens to be the NCU's Dean of Health Sciences and Technology, and has been working at the intersection of statistical physics and biology ever since grad school. Over the years, he and his collaborators have developed "several useful concepts and computational techniques, including the theory of physiologic complexity, and proposed the concept of dynamical biomarkers that can be utilized for disease diagnosis. These new approaches have a wide range of applications in multiple disciplines, such as mathematics, physics, economics, biology, and clinical medicine." Appropriately enough, the Dynamical Biomarkers Group includes a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, medical researchers, physicists, applied mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers. Final Frontier Medical Devices (Paoli, PA) A surprisingly high percentage of patients in an emergency room aren't in imminent danger; they're just looking for a timely diagnosis and advice on what to do next, and they've got nowhere else to go. As an ER doc with a PhD in engineering, Dr. Basil Harris and his team, Final Frontier Medical Devices, are ready to do something about that. Their solution is called DxtER ("Dexter") and combines a handheld sensor array with a tablet-based user interface and AI diagnostic engine capable of analyzing data, requesting further input, and arriving at a diagnosis. “I’m an ER doc; what I do every day is make diagnoses. That is my job boiled down to its core. I figure out, or at least try my best to figure out, what a patient's symptoms mean and what has to be done. Our device is smart and simple, giving people the help and answers they need when they need them the most."

MESI Simplifying diagnostics (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Straight out of Ljubljana, Team MESI Simplifying diagnostics combines members from Gigodesign, DLabs, the Jozef Stefan Institute, the University of Ljubljana, and MESI to form a Slovenian health technology powerhouse. Team leader Jakob Susteric founded MESI two years ago with the goal of creating medical devices that were reliable and easy to use, soon delivering a solution for diagnosing peripheral arterial disease. "We are proud to be one of the most successful startup companies in Slovenia and to be the youngest company in the country that has received ISO9001 and ISO13485 certificates. But we are the most proud of our goal to simplify diagnostics and bring it to a primary healthcare level, when there is enough time to react."

SCANADU (Moffett Field, CA) "Scanadu believes that our generation will be the last to know so little about our own health." Led by former MIT Media Lab sponsor and One Laptop Per Child exec Walter de Brouwer, Team Scanadu operates out of NASA's backyard in Moffett Field, nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley. The crowdfunding campaign for the Scanadu Scout broke Indiegogo's "most funded project" record at the time, and Scanadu has been featured in the New York Times, Wired, Forbes, and Fast Company among others — many, many others. You've probably heard of Scanadu. 'Nuff said.

SCANurse (London, England)

Drawing on 20 years of experience working with pharma, biotech, healthcare and diagnostic companies all around the world, Anil Vaidya founded Team SCANurse with the belief that "the time is right for a change in the way personal medical diagnoses are handled." Holder of a master’s in biomedical engineering from Rutgers, Vaidya is current life science advisor to the office of the Mayor of London and has a unique understanding of how global partnerships can help bring his vision of the future of medical diagnostics to life. Zensor (Belfast, Ireland) Team zensor has been developing wireless, wearable, non-intrusive health monitors for a decade. Based at Intelesens in Belfast, Northern Ireland, zensor is led by chief technology officer Jim McLaughlin and has various partners in clinical diagnostics and cardiology. "Consumers have become more and more informed on their own health — wearable fitness technology has established a firm niche — however, to date, technology has not been capable of supporting true consumer healthcare needs. The zensor team is passionate about delivering cutting edge technology tested for both accuracy and safety to support this demand." zensor's current device incorporates ECG, motion, and respiration algorithms; their next version will measure blood oxygenation.

So stake your bets within the next half-interval: which team shall emerge victorious? According to records, the next phase is to begin in April 2015 with the delivery of device prototypes, followed by a rigorous consumer-testing period. Once your wagers have been placed, we will refocus our temporal scanners on early 2016 to see who claims the prize. These humans and their relentless innovative spirit provide much better sport than our former drill thralls. I congratulate myself for finding this loophole in the terms of our wager with Captain Kirk. Though we may be prevented from using humans in our games in the future, he said nothing of looking to the past to place bets on the outcomes of competitions there — a testament to my superior intellectual prowess! Make your wagers, fellow Providers: the betting floor is 10,000 quatloos.

_______________Provider 1 is one of the three primary Providers of the planet Triskelion in the M24 Alpha trinary system. Since the loss of their wager to Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise on stardate 3217.8, the Providers released their drill thralls from servitude and began a program of cultural enrichment due to last several hundred intervals. Provider 1 has been primarily focused on finding new ways to satisfy the Providers' need to gamble on the activities of other beings, and turned his considerable mental faculties toward the refinement of temporal scanners capable of observing discrete points in the timestream without altering its flow. Human history has turned out to be a significant source of entertainment for the Providers.XPRIZE is an innovation engine. We design and operate prize competitions to address global crises and market failures, and incentivize teams around the world to solve them. Currently, we are operating numerous prizes, including the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, challenging privately funded teams to successfully land a robot on the Moon’s surface, and the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, challenging teams around the world to create a portable, wireless, Star Trek -inspired medical device that allows you to monitor your health and medical conditions anywhere, anytime. The result? Radical innovation that will help us all live long and prosper. Sign up today to join our mission, be a part of our campaign and win collectibles at: tricorderfederation.org .

Get Updates By Email

• Sign In | Register

Made of machined aluminium, the tricorder scanner has a bare metal finish with red and green LEDs embedded in the head. When the brass switch on the unit is pressed, the green LEDs around the edge are activated in a swirling motion, while the red LED at the head of the unit activates. The head unscrews, allowing access to the battery fitted in the unit’s interior.

The tricorder scanner remains in a very good production-used condition with minimal wear from use on the show.

Click play on the video below to see the scanner in action!

• Size Item size: 2.95" × 0.98" × 0.98" (7.5cm × 2.5cm × 2.5cm)

This item is located in London.

All £ prices include sales tax (VAT) of 20.00% applicable to any purchases made by clients within the UK or NI, unless denoted by an "M" indicating it is sold under the margin scheme for collector's items; no VAT is due to except to clients within NI.

All $ prices are exclusive of VAT, although clients in some US States may be required to pay sales tax on their order following the Wayfair ruling; these will be calculated at checkout.

All € prices are exclusive of VAT.

The US States below may be required to pay sales tax on their order following the Wayfair ruling ; these will be calculated at checkout.

All conversions presented are approximate. You will be charged in UK Sterling (GBP£).

Prices do not include shipping and handling or any local taxes and duties that may be applied by your local government.

This item is located in Los Angeles.

All prices displayed are exclusive of sales taxes, although the US States below may be required to pay sales tax on their order following the Wayfair ruling ; these will be calculated at checkout.

• North Carolina

All conversions presented are approximate. You will be charged in US Dollars (USD$).

This item lives in our UK office.

All £ prices include sales tax (VAT) of 20.00% for clients within the UK or NI. An “M” indicates the item is sold under the margin scheme for collector’s items so no VAT is due, except to clients within NI. All € and $ prices are exclusive of VAT.

Due to the Wayfair Ruling, some US States may be required to pay sales tax. Conversions are approximate and you’ll be charged in UK Sterling (GBP£). Prices do not include shipping, handling or any local taxes. Duties may also be applied by your local government.

This item lives in our US office.

All prices are exclusive of sales taxes. Due to the Wayfair Ruling, some US States may be required to pay sales tax. If that’s the case, we’ll calculate the total at checkout. Conversions are approximate and you’ll be charged in US Dollars (USD$). Prices do not include shipping, handling or any local taxes. Duties may also be applied by your local government.

Incl. Buyer’s Premium

You seem to be using an unsupported browser.

Please upgrade to the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox.

• Database Home
• Submissions
• Submit Data
• My Submissions
• Browse Database
• Browse All Data
• Nationwide Frequencies
• Search Database
• Frequency Data
• Trunked System Data
• FCC Data (USA)
• Amateur Radio
• Conventional Data
• Trunked Systems
• Update Reports
• DBAdmin Handbook
• You have no new messages
• Pennsylvania

Lackawanna County

Lackawanna county, pennsylvania, frequencies, county law enforcement frequencies, countywide fire & ems (new plan), other county ems frequencies, county services, local governments and authorities, abington township, archbald borough, blakely borough, carbondale city, carbondale township, clarks summit borough, covington township, dickson city, dunmore borough, fell township, greenfield township, jefferson township, jermyn borough, jessup borough, moosic borough, moscow borough, newton township, old forge borough, olyphant borough, scott township, scranton city, south abington township, taylor borough, throop borough, vandling borough, regional fire and ems agencies, abington area line officers association, first strike search and rescue, medical transporation, north pocono mutual aid association, school districts, abington heights school district, scranton school district, colleges and universities, lackawanna college, marywood university, university of scranton, medical facilities, gino j. merli state veterans' center, premium subscription required, this section or feature is available only to premium subscribers.

Please login with your Premium Subscriber Account

To learn more about our premium subscription program please see: RadioReference Premium Subscription

Search the RadioReference Database

Location helper tool.

Safmar Aurora Luxe

Safmar aurora luxe is a luxurious 5-star hotel in the center of moscow, within walking distance to the main attractions of the city., about the hotel.