 |
Smart Phone-Based Tricorder Tech
A small handheld ultrasound probe used in conjunction with a Windows-based mobile phone may provide proof-of-concept for what amounts to a 'tricorder' like those seen in the 1960's era Star Trek television show. Washington University computer engineers have tweaked every aspect of ultrasound probe design and operation - from power consumption and data transfer rate to image formation algorithms.
(Connect a small ultrasound probe to a smartphone...)
The result is a smartphone-compatible USB ultrasound probe. This can be plugged into a standard Microsoft Windows mobile-based smartphone and the operator can immediately image the kidney, the liver, the bladder and the eyes using the screen on the smartphone.
It is also possible to use ultrasound endocavity probes for prostate and uterine screenings and biopsies, and vascular probes for imaging veins and arteries for starting IVs and central lines.
"You can carry around a probe and cell phone and image on the fly now," said William D. Richard, Ph.D., WUSTL associate professor of computer science and engineering. "Imagine having these smartphones in ambulances and emergency rooms. On a larger scale, this kind of cell phone is a complete computer that runs Windows. It could become the essential computer of the Developing World, where trained medical personnel are scarce, but most of the population, as much as 90 percent, have access to a cell phone tower."
(...and get clinical imaging in the field tricorder-style)
According to David Zar, research associate in computer science and engineering, gives one example of how the device might be used:
"The idea is that caregivers, who otherwise have to transport a young person, often wheelchair bound, to a hospital or clinic on a regular basis for examination, can be trained to do ultrasound to track muscle condition. The caregiver would only have to do a one-minute scan, transfer the data captured to the clinic, and the results would come back to the caregiver."
Tricorders were used by physicians in both the original 1960's Star Trek and the more recent incarnations. The nice graphics below are from (I think) the original series..
(Medical tricorder)
Handheld devices for doctors are no longer medical science fiction. Progress is rapidly being made in this area; physicians already have the LOCAD-PTS Handheld Microorganism Detector (tested aboard the International Space Station) and life sciences personnel have the NUGGET (Neutron/Gamma Ray Geologic Tomography) device for finding alien life forms.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 4/24/2009)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Medical ")
Purdue Pharma Ready To Profit From OxyContin Use Or Addiction Recovery
'It may be organic damage. It may be permanent. Time'll tell, and only after you are off Substance D for a long while.' - Philip K. Dick, 1977.
Organaut! Russians 3D Print Living Tissue In Space
'For a while your colonists will have to come up [to orbit] to the Hospital...' - Larry Niven, 1968.
MIT Scientists Create 'Peek-a-Boo Prober' From Jetsons
Well, George, it's the latest thing.
Wound Healing With Wearable Nanogenerators
'... forcing the energy transfer which allowed him to ... erase the other internal-external damage.' - Frank Herbert, 1972.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
North Focals Smart Glasses Provide Augmented Reality In Style
'The world ... is drenched in unfamiliar information all the way to the horizon.'
Tesla Driver Caught Napping Behind The Wheel
'Mary Risling settled back for a little nap...'
Hayabusa 2 To Begin Asteroid Mining
'We must dig down, and then doubtless we shall find the metal.'
Ionocraft Drone Powered By Electrohydrodynamic Thrust
'He saw one hiss by him as he rounded the corner, trailing a short whip antenna...'
Purdue Pharma Ready To Profit From OxyContin Use Or Addiction Recovery
'It may be organic damage. It may be permanent. Time'll tell, and only after you are off Substance D for a long while.'
BloxVox Mutes Cellphone Convos
It's the polite thing to do, and has been the polite thing to do for about four generations.
Superfast Replicator: Volumetric Additive Manufacturing
I can't wait. Bring it on.
DNA May Contain Malware
'You were told to embed the logical pathogen.'
I Can't Resist Worm Robots
'Seen close it was not completely flexible...'
Rplate Digital License Plates Now Legal In Michigan
'Gragg's digital ink license plates ...'
Can Musk Starship Astronauts Use Magnetic Boots?
'Walking awkwardly in the magnetic boots that held him to the black mass of meteoric iron...'
Giant Dolphin Spotted On Jupiter!
'Now at last he could appreciate its real size and complexity...'
Musk's Starship An SF Fan's Dream Come True
Perfect for testing, perfect for fans!
TinyMobileRobots Are Sewer Sentinels
Every movie monster gets its start someplace.
Fishy Facial Recognition Now Possible
'Palenkis can identify random line patterns better than any other species in the universe.'
Spicy Tomatoes Created With Genetic Engineering
How about mashed potatoes and brown gravy?
