Could a Star Trek tricorder be a reality? Sarasota tech genius Tracy Ingram has assembled a team to compete in the Qualcomm XPrize competition to bring the prop out of TV land and to real individuals. Actually, Ingram notes for the super-geeks that his focus is truly on the bioscanner, a piece of equipment Bones McCoy would attach to a tricorder to make the hi-tech compass read your vital signs. “What we have is software that can take existing medical hardware for measuring your heart rate and other important readings to bring the data out and not only give me a reading but telling me what that reading means,” he explains. The device could help fight misdiagnosis (important for Ingram because his mother was homebound by a misdiagnosis for two years) and help laymen and medical professionals alike. The BioscanR is far enough along it will go to market even if Ingram’s team isn’t chosen for the XPrize, but he’s already made it through early rounds of cuts to be in the top 30. The top 10 teams with tricorder dreams will be named August 27. Either way, this new Star Trek toy seems bound to help more people to live long lives, and likely let Ingram prosper.
