A real-world medical device inspired by Star Trek's disease-detecting "tricoder" has been developed by a California-based startup company and could soon become available to consumers.
According to the
Mashable Website,
the new device called "Scout" is a handheld scanner that measures a patient's vital signs like heart rate, temperature, blood oxygenation, and respiratory rate.
Scanadu, a company based at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, reportedly developed the scanner with nearly $15 million in funding from multiple investors, including former Yahoo cofounder and CEO Jerry Yang.
Editor's note: 3 Signs You’re Close to a Heart Attack
The company is now seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to market the Scout device, which reads vital signs in seconds and transfers them to a patient's smartphone. The aim is to provide patients with a quick health screening as an alternative to an expensive trip to the emergency room.
Scout users can then share their health information with doctors directly with the accompanying app.
Scanadu said the device could be ready for sale within a year and will sell for under $200.
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