Tricorder

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A replica of a Star Trek classic tricorder

In the fictional Star Trek universe, a tricorder is a handheld device used for scanning an area, interpreting and displaying data from scans to the user, and recording information to isolinear chips.

Three primary variants of the tricorder were issued in Star Trek's Starfleet. The standard tricorder is a general-purpose device used primarily to scout unfamiliar areas. The medical tricorder is used by doctors to help diagnose diseases and collect bodily information about a patient; the key difference between this and a standard tricorder is a detachable hand-held high-resolution sensor array stored in a compartment on the front of the tricorder when not in use, making it slightly bigger than a standard tricorder. The engineering tricorder is fine-tuned for starship engineering purposes. There are also many other lesser-used varieties of special use tricorders.

According to Dr. Julian Bashir (from Star Trek: Deep Space 9), while medical tricorders are very good at scanning living people, they are not very good at scanning dead ones. Evidently this is the first lesson taught at Starfleet medical school.

1 Different types of tricorders
2 List of tricorders
3 "Real" tricorders
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Different types of tricorders

The tricorder of the 23rd century was a heavy, black, rectangular device with a small screen and a shoulder strap. The 24th century unit is a small, gray, square model with a flip-out panel to allow for a larger screen. This design was further refined later on with a slightly more angular appearance that was seen on most of the TNG-era movies as well as later seasons of DS9 and Voyager. The medical variants of this model had the detachable scanner stored in the bottom of it when not in use as opposed to the front, giving this model the same overall profile regardless of its intended use.

In the post-Next Generation era (Star Trek Nemesis and Star Trek: Elite Force II), a newer tricorder was introduced. It is flatter, and looks more like a modern-day PDA with a small flap that opens on top and a large touch screen interface.

[edit] List of tricorders

2260s
- Large, strap-carried tricorder
2270s
- Smaller, flip-out tricorder
2280s
- Type A: heavy-duty tricorder, with carrying handle
- Type B: smaller than Type A, looking like the 2260 models, but slightly smaller
2360s
- TR-560 Tricorder VI
- TR-580 Tricorder VII
2370s
- TR-590 Tricorder X
2379
- Slim, PADD-like tricorder, with touch-screen interface

The tricorder prop for the original Star Trek series was designed and built by Wah Ming Chang, one of several futuristic props he created under his contract. Some of his designs are considered to have been influential on later, real-world consumer electronics devices.^[who?] (See also: Martin Cooper and the Star Trek communicator.)

[edit] "Real" tricorders

Software exists to make hand-held devices simulate a tricorder. Examples include Jeff Jetton's Tricorder - 2.0 for the PalmPilot and the "genuine Tricorder from Elegant Solutions" for the Pocket PC, iPhone, and iPod Touch Web application. There is considerable interest in developing real portable analysers which could behave like a tricorder.

Vital Technologies Corporation sold a portable device dubbed the "Official Star-Trek Tricorder Mark 1" (formally, the TR-107 Tricorder Mark 1) in 1996. Its features were an "Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Meter(R)", "Two-Mode Weather Station(R)", (thermometer and barometer), "Colorimeter(R)" (no wavelength given), "Light Meter"(R), and "Stardate Clock and Timer(R)" (a clock and timer). Spokespersons claimed the device was a "serious scientific instrument".^[1] Vital Technologies sold 10,000 units before going out of business. The company was permitted to call this device a "tricorder" because Gene Roddenberry's contract included a clause allowing any company able to create functioning technology to use the name.

In February, 2007, researchers from Purdue University publicly announced their portable (briefcase-sized) DESI-based mass spectrometer, the Mini-10,^[2] which can be used to analyze compounds in ambient conditions without prior sample preparation. This was also announced as a "tricorder".^[3]

Sandia National Labs in the US is a major centre for lab-on-a-chip research, and have developed many handheld instruments for biological or chemical analysis.^[4]