Tricorder Becomes A Reality In 2010
September 11th, 2010 - 7:30 pm ICT by Pen Men At WorkSeptember 11, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): The Tricorder had been a fictional gadget safely ensconced within the minds of sci-fi lovers until now. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the Star Trek Universe, a TV series made ample use of it in the show. The Tricorder may soon become a reality in the present year of 2010 however.
The Purdue researchers have now come forth with a similar gadget which can determine the chemical components of any object or trace all the elements present on its surface. R. Graham Cooks, the Professor of Analytical Chemistry attached to the Purdue University’s College of Science says that the entire system is a combination of two devices in reality. The first one being a desorption electrospray ionization while the other is a spectrometer that is hand held. The accuracy of the system is also believed to be quite good.
The researchers have tested the device on food, clothes and drugs and have also used it effectively to detect cocaine from $50 bills within seconds. It can certainly be put to good use commercially in future with the Tricorder being used for checking out salmonella in food, explosive marks on luggage as well as biomarkers in urine.
The first attempt to create a similar device had been back in 1996 when Vital Technologies Corporation had actively been engaged in mimicking the properties of the gadget. There has been a couple of Indianapolis start ups to commercialize the gadget so far. While the actual device may not be as impressive as the one used in Star Trek, it certainly seems to be a step in the right direction.
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