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Scanadu: the Medical Tricorder from Star Trek

By Angela Dremann on February 23, 2015 | Leave a response

For those familiar with the television show Star Trek, many may remember the Tricorder, a device that Dr. “Bones” McCoy used to wirelessly scan a patient to assess the individual’s medical status.

The California start-up Scanadu‘s website touts that a real-world and functional version of the famous prop is now available for those who backed it on the international crowdfunding site Indiegogo.  The company’s website states that it began shipping its test version earlier this month and users have been posting images of the device on social media.

Designed by Walter De Brouwer, a Belgian entrepreneur, the device is called the “Scanadu Scout.”  According to Scanadu’s website, this hockey puck-shaped device provides “valuable data about your body . . . just by placing it on your forehead.”

Scanadu’s product description webpage states that through its sensors, the Scanadu Scout is able to provide readings for an individual’s temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, pulse oximetry, electrocardiogram, heart rate variability, stress, and urine analysis. The webpage further states that the information can then be transferred through Bluetooth to an individual’s phone, where the individual can share the data with a healthcare professional.
A tutorial for using the Scanadu Scout can be viewed here: Scanadu Tutorial Video. Scanadu’s website indicates that the device is currently unavailable for purchase as it is pending FDA approval. News articles indicate that Scanadu closed $10.5 million in Series A financing led by Relay Ventures, with participation from VegasTechFund and AME Cloud Ventures.
According the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Scanadu Incorporated is listed as the Applicant for patent applications including the following:
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