Tricorders are real?!

[Phoenicianknight]

This caught my eye today, thought you guys might like it:

www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/01/disease-detect.html

It is a little old, but I had not seen it yet.

 

[barnaclelapse]

It must be my browser giving me the middle finger (it happens), because I can't get the damn link to work.

 

[MikeS]

Me neither.

But I do think of my Android phone and all it's widgets as being Tricorder-esque. So, yes, they are real.

 

[FordSVT]

Me neither.

But I do think of my Android phone and all it's widgets as being Tricorder-esque. So, yes, they are real.

Not to be an ass, but Androids and iPads and iPhones are more like Trek PADDs, not tricorders, which perform a function your phone is incapable of.

This is a "real" tricorder. In a few years, such hand-held devices will probably be commonly used by emergency services, scientists, etc.

 

[Gary7]

Your link lopped off the trailing 'i'; that's why it didn't work. Here's the correct link:

Tricorder a Reality?

 

[MikeS]

Me neither.

But I do think of my Android phone and all it's widgets as being Tricorder-esque. So, yes, they are real.

Not to be an ass, but Androids and iPads and iPhones are more like Trek PADDs, not tricorders, which perform a function your phone is incapable of.

This is a "real" tricorder. In a few years, such hand-held devices will probably be commonly used by emergency services, scientists, etc.

I see your point, but my android will scan out the locale for any beer houses, point me in the right direction, make a record of it (photo's, video whatever) and even give me the cure for any ensuing hangover. That to me is more than a Padd can do.

 

[The Wormhole]

Real Tricorders have been around since 1996. Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Real Tricorders have been around since 1996. Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject.

Yeah, I remember the Mark 1. It was mostly marketed as an educational learning tool, and I don't think it was marketed to the general public. I got to play with one once as one of our astronomy club members had brought one to show us.

 

[Bill Morris]

Perhaps the newest thing in real tricorders is GE's VSCAN. Here's a link provided elsewhere by BolianAdmiral:

http://www.ge.com/innovation/vscan/

On YouTube you can see demos of various toy tricorders with flashing lights and sounds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXrkmdomvIU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtcVA54t9gU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT3uGckZONM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaUb7UodgGw&feature=related

Then there's the Raman spectrometer developed at the University of Arizona with a database to identify materials by interpreting scans, for use by NASA on Mars. There are various old articles about that. Here's one:

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=568

 

[barnaclelapse]

Ah good stuff.

Really interesting.

 

[FordSVT]

Me neither.

But I do think of my Android phone and all it's widgets as being Tricorder-esque. So, yes, they are real.

Not to be an ass, but Androids and iPads and iPhones are more like Trek PADDs, not tricorders, which perform a function your phone is incapable of.

This is a "real" tricorder. In a few years, such hand-held devices will probably be commonly used by emergency services, scientists, etc.

I see your point, but my android will scan out the locale for any beer houses, point me in the right direction, make a record of it (photo's, video whatever) and even give me the cure for any ensuing hangover. That to me is more than a Padd can do.

The PADD is a touch screen computer that interfaces with a computer network in order to access and display information.

Android phone is a touch screen computer that interfaces with a computer network in order to access and display information.

Huge difference.

 

[MikeS]

Oooh - get you, sarky!