The Tricorder is here: Gadget that works with a phone to study the chemical makeup of ANY object will be released in June
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Technology that claims to transform any smartphone into a Star Trek-style tricorder is set to be unveiled in Israel.
The company behind the device says it has the potential to break down the chemical components of almost any object from a distance.
The technology could help a range of industries such as food and drink, healthcare and the defence sector, the researchers claim.
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Technology that claims to transform any smartphone into a Star Trek-style tricorder is set to be unveiled in Israel. The company behind the device says it has the potential to break down the chemical components of almost any object from a distance. The image shows how the picture might be used
Unispectral Technologies and Tel Aviv University, who are behind the system, say it works by analysing a materials 'hyperspectral signature', which is its unique chemical fingerprint.
The team have already patented the optical part of the system, which is based on existing microelectromechanical or 'MEMS' technology.
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'The optical element acts as a tunable filter and the software - an image fusion library - would support this new component and extract all the relevant information from the image,' said Professor David Mendlovic at Tel Aviv University.
Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum.
A Tricorder is a scanning device used by Starfleet personnel in the Star Trek universe. It was used largely by Mr Spock, the alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise
Once the camera take an image, the data would be further analysed by a third-party to extract the hyperspectral signature at any location in the image.
The imaging works in both video and still photography, he says.
'We are close to producing a prototype, which is scheduled for release in June,' said Professor Mendlovic.
'A long list of fields stand to gain from this new technology.
'We predict hyperspectral imaging will play a major role in consumer electronics, the automotive industry, biotechnology, and homeland security.'
This back-end analyser would need a large database of hyperspectral signatures at its disposal.
Applications of the sensor include remote health monitoring and industrial quality control.
'Agricultural applications may also benefit because hyperspectral imaging could be used to identify properties of crops, vegetables, and other types of foods,' Mr Raz says.
'Its hyperspectral platform is also suitable for wearable devices.'
A first-generation demonstration system of the camera. Once the camera take an image, the data would be further analysed by a third-party to extract the hyperspectral signature at any location in the image
According to Professor Mendlovic, Unispectral is currently in discussions with major smartphone makers, car companies, and wearable device makers to move the technology forward.
And the company isn't the only one hoping to recreate Spock's Tricorder.
Earlier this year, researchers revealed a gadget that can be used to diagnose an illness simply by holding it to the forehead.
Named Scanadu Scout, the small round device is able to read a number of vital signs, including heart rate and temperature.
It contains a variety of different sensors alongside a microphone on the top of the gadget that together, can read vital signs, including body temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen level, heart rate variability and pulse wave transit time (PWTT).
PWTT is the time it takes for a heartbeat to reach somewhere else in a person's body and is related to blood pressure.
Its makers claim the device is 99 per cent accurate in less than 10 seconds.
Scanadu was finalist in the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize, which was launched in 2013 to inspire a wireless device capable of detecting a range of diseases, including anaemia, tuberculosis and diabetes.
Another device by London-based, ScanNurse, uses computer-vision techniques to analyse images taken with a camera.
The scientists hope their system will make observations of the inside of the ears or throat, in the same way a doctor would, and then feed it into a computer for analysis.
Other teams are using blood and urine samples to test for key markers. The tiny microfluidic devices will, they claim, work in a similar way to hospital-lab tests.
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