Star Trek: The Original Series: Dr. McCoy’s medical tricorder becomes reality

Star Trek: The Original Series introduced a medical tricorder that allowed Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy to detect and diagnose basic injuries and medical conditions. 

On Star Trek: The Original Series, it wasn’t unusual to see Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) move a handheld scanner over an injured crewmate’s body. If Bones didn’t say “He’s dead, Jim,” then he would give a diagnois of the patient. His medical tricorder afforded him that opportunity, and we haven’t had anything like that in modern medicine until now.

Now, MedWand, a creation of a team of physicians and medical device engineers, is crossing over into Star Trek territory with a lightweight handheld device and an Ultra-HD resolution camera that allows health practitioners to collect data faster and in areas otherwise unavailable without the use of CT scans or MRIs.

According to a media release to Business Wire, MedWand’s capabilities include “collecting data including core temperature, blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate, heart, lung and abdominal auscultations, electrocardiogram*, and high definition otoscopic, oropharynx, and dermatoscopic exam images. MedWand VirtualCare Clinic can also provide blood pressure, glucometer, spirometry, weight, and body mass data by instantly connecting to FDA-cleared third party tools.” See it in action in the video below!

Medwand has already received  FDA 510(k) clearance and will help clinicians perform remote exams anywhere in the world. And this is only the beginning.

We know Star Trek has influenced many technological advancements over the years, and this one could help save lives. Imagine something we thought was just a prop when we first saw The Original Series becoming a reality that will make a real difference in this world! There is no denying that Trek was way ahead of its time, and Gene Roddenberry created a franchise that would not only entertain but inspire!