Scanadu Scout – The First Medical Tricorder

Fans of the Star Trek series will know of the tricorder that Dr.Leonard McCoy uses for medical diagnosis. The tricorder functions in a way where you only need to point the device at a person to get their health status. While the fictional device seemed a little far fetched back then, a company has now been able to bring the movie prop into reality.

Scanadu is a Singularity University startup that has created a device called the Scanadu Scout – The First Medical Tricorder. By putting this device close to anyone’s forehead, the Scanadu Scout can measure your body stats and display the information on your smartphone via Bluetooth. They say it’s like an Emergency Room in your pocket.

The tiny, handheld Scanadu Scout is able to give you medical details such as your:

  • Heart rate
  • Skin / core body temperature
  • Respiratory rate
  • Blood pressure
  • Electrocardiography (ECG)
  • Oxygen levels
  • Emotional stress

scanadu scout device

The Scanadu Scout has passive sensors such as electrodes, IR light sensors, thermistors etc. and only needs about 10 seconds on your forehead to acquire your vitals.

how to use scanadu scout

Readings from the Scanadu Scout will be sent via Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Low Energy (LE) and displayed on your smartphone through the Scanadu Scout app which is currently not available for download yet.

scanadu scout app

The Scanadu Scout is has a rechargeable battery and uses a micro-USB port for charging. A full charge takes less than an hour and can last for about a week if used a few times a day. It’s not a waterproof device, but can be wiped clean with a damp cloth after each use.

scanadu scout back view

To get your own Scanadu Scout, you can support this project for $199 on Indiegogo and you’ll receive the device and the iOS or Android app by the end of 2013.

scanadu scout front view

You should know that the Scanadu Scout is not a FDA approved as it’s not fully accurate yet. However, by supporting the project, you can opt-in to use the device on yourself to give them valuable feedback to better and fully approve the device. This will be in the form of official clinical studies which you will be invited to partake in if you agree on the Informed consent document.

Additional Info

If you’re familiar with medical stuff, you’ll know that a urine test is needed to get an ECG reading. Besides this Scanadu Scout, the Scanadu team has another device called the Scanadu Scanaflo. Scanadu Scanaflo is a urine test kit which enables you to get levels of glucose, blood, protein, pH and much more; it can also test for pregnancy. There’s not many details about the Scanadu Scanaflo as their main focus now is to create and develop Scanadu scout.

    

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