Star Trek Tricorders Left The Science Fiction Realm to Become Science Reality

According to the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize device requirements, the research teams were expected to develop a device with the following characteristics:

- The device cannot weight more than five pounds

- It has to be able to diagnose 13 medical conditions

- It has to capture five real-time health vital signs

A tricorder-like medical diagnostic device will have an array of benefits for patients and medical practitioners alike around the world.

A medical portable device of such characteristics could aid and expand the reach of medical testing in countless limited-resource areas around the world, areas that lack or have limited access to well-equipped and staffed clinical labs.

A real-life tricorder medical device would make testing more convenient, and less invasive. In the near future, patients will get treatment faster, potentially saving lives. In many cases, patients will be using the device themselves as long as it is connected to their smartphone, adding to the Internet of Things (IoT) explosion of connected deviced. Daily decision-making will be easier and more accurate with the right health information right at your fingertips.

Special Session: A Conversation with Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize Innovators

Two teams from the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize competition, a finalist and a semi-finalist, will present their research and prototypes in an interactive special session on July 31st, 2017 at the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo in San Diego, California.

Finalist Taiwan-based Dynamical Biomarkers Group led by Dr. Chung-Kang Peng, PhD, will present research data on the tricorder prototype developed by his team as well as sharing the inspiration for their device. The semi-finalist presenting is Eugene Chan, MD, Chief Executive Officer and Head Scientist at DNA Medicine Institute. The other finalist is US-based Final Frontier Medical Devices led by Basil Harris, PhD. The grant will be awarded by Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize and Nokia Sensing XChallenge.

In addition to presenting their research on mobile diagnostic devices, which were judged for their diagnostic accuracy and user experience, the innovators will discuss the imminent potential future of their inventions, as well as the hurdles they encountered during their work.

The 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo, the largest and most recognized international forum for unveiling vital science and groundbreaking advances in laboratory medicine, will take place from July 30th to August 3rd at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

For more information.

Special Session.

Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize.