Medical Tricorder: Application and Functions

Introduction

With the significant and swift progress of many practical scientific fields such as nano and quantum physics, and information and computer technology, medicine has gained a broad prospect for enhancement. Indeed, although healthcare is slightly behind other high-tech industries, VR/AR, 3D-printing, artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology stand on the threshold of widespread production and application. Diagnostics, in this sense, occupies a distinctive niche, because, without an early and accurate diagnosis of the disease, it is impossible to choose the right treatment. Thus, this paper aims at describing one of the prospective devices, namely, medical tricorder which has already established itself in the healthcare sector yet requires further research and development.

General Medical Application

With an increase in the number of cases of civilizational diseases, including stroke, heart attack, diabetes, dementia, among others, there is a mounting need for forehand and accurate diagnosis, especially in conditions of self-care. In this regard, such medical tools as infrared thermometer and glucometer have become indispensable in warning complications of many illnesses of both metabolic and infectious genesis. Nevertheless, further research continues in developing the universal device that can identify all main symptoms and follow three core criteria, namely, accuracy in measurement, simplicity in use by private consumers, and availability (Hamper et al. 2017).

Medical tricorder is an advanced multifunction hand-held tool, which comes in handy for a wide range of consumers, providing non-invasive, that is, without incision and puncturing procedures with high accuracy. It can be used by both medical-specialized workers and ordinary people for measuring blood pressure, electrocardiography, body temperature, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation (Lasbury, 2016). Identifying these metrics, a medical recorder can be applied for diagnosis of various diseases, including anemia, diabetes, urinary tract and respiratory infections, stroke, among others (Miner et al., 2016). Besides, since computer and mobile technologies are increasingly used, this device can be connected with a mobile phone, smartphone, or laptop, where all set measurements can be shown in detail, with graphics and features.

Functionality

Although it is impossible to describe the functionality of the tricorder since it is under development, and there are only prototypes, some characteristic features that belong to the tricorder yet exist. For example, some models can combine a high-power microscope with a mobile phone and use it to analyze samples in test tubes electronically (Siegel, 2017). A microscope via contact with the body can screen bodily secretions and epidermal bacterial content. Additionally, the tricorder may have two electrodes that evaluate the heart state by determining heart rate, oxygen saturation, and blood flow through the aorta and other critical arteries. Special sensors can be utilized for identifying abnormalities with DNA and antibodies. This is vital in the early diagnostic of different severe diseases at the cellular level, such as cancer, diabetes, and cerebral palsy. In particular, multiple forms of cancer and mutations could be detected using polarized light coming from the skin of an individual (Siegel, 2017). The polarized light analysis can also present information about wound healing.

The upcoming devices are planned to be highly connected with mobile phones. By implementing an artificial intelligence algorithm system, the device would identify twelve possible medical conditions with 24-h monitoring of vital indicators (Gronowski et al. 2018). Besides, with interaction with mobile phone or tablet, it could offer the user guidance and courses of action, depending on situations and conditions (Gronowski et al., 2018). Some devices may have sensors on which blood, urine, or saliva sample can be placed and further analyzed by a camera (Gronowski et al. 2018). Finally, another analysis using sensitive electronic “noses” detects infections, such as pneumonia, through human respiration. All prototypes are not only accurate and versatile but also easy to use.

Prototypes and Programs

Scanadu

Many firms participated in designing similar devices, but ultimately, the company Scanadu has become a pioneer in this research. The device Scanadu is a pocket-sized tool that, when held to the forehead, can measure four physiologic vitals, namely, blood pressure, body surface temperature, heart rate, and oxygen saturation through pulse oximetry (Waalen et al., 2019). It is noteworthy that oceanographer and filmmaker Fabien Cousteau applied such a tool to monitor the health of divers underwater (Franklin-Wallis, 2014). Besides, the device is connected to a mobile app to analyze information obtained about metrics.

QuantuMDx Group

The company called Qualcomm stages the competition with a $10 million award for creating a hand-held medical device that can enable consumers to make their reliable health diagnoses anywhere, anytime (“Empowering Personal Healthcare,” n.d.). To win the rival, participants are required to invent a device that can define 12 diseases, such as diabetes, anemia, leukocytosis, as well as the absence of illness, and take five real-time health vitals irrespective of a healthcare professional or institution (Gronowski et al., 2018). In addition, the device should weigh within 5 pounds and have the ability to transmit gained information to a computer system or cloud storage. About 300 teams from 38 different countries joined after the launch in 2012, and, in 2017, 3 winners were revealed, namely, Basil Harris, Dynamical Biomarkers Group, and Cloud DX (Anderton, 2016). For example, Basil Harris invented the device called DxtER that used for “measurement of blood glucose, hemoglobin, and white cell counts that do not require needles or other implantable devices” (Gronowski et al., 2018, p.1). The competition represented a prominent landmark in the history of tricorder development.

Tissue Resonance InterferoMeter Probe (TRIMprob)

TRIMprob is a new hand-held system, patented by Italian physicist Clarbruno Vedruccio in 1992, which produces electromagnetic waves to detect anomalies of biological tissues, cancerous tissue in particular. Mainly, it consists of a radio frequency interferometer that emits electromagnetic radiation with three frequencies, including 465, 930, and 1395MHz (Guimaraes, 2017). The device is still inaccurate since it identifies 93 percent of prostate cancer and only 66 percent of breast cancer (Guimaraes, 2017). However, due to its small size, TRIMprob has won recognition among scientists.

Regulation

There are no significant objections regarding the use of medical tricorder since this device is assumed to bring enormous growth in productivity and cost-savings of health care and produce a billion-dollar market. However, there were several reports published by doctors and some establishments such as the Food and Drug Administration, which expressed opposition to the development and distribution of similar devices (Arthur, 2012; “The dream of the medical tricorder”, 2012). According to them, the widespread application of medical recorder among consumers may lead to the wrong interpretation of the diagnosis and abuse of these tools without turning to specialized medical facilities.

Conclusion

In summary, the paper has described the general application and functionality of the medical recorder and its leading prototypers. It should be indicated that a medical recorder can be used for diagnosis of a broad range of disorders by measuring vital body signs, including temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, etcetera. Regarding severe disease, it helps to identify anemia, cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and leukocytosis. Scanadu, TRIMprob, and DextER are only a few devices that were recently designed and widely accepted among the scientific community and by consumers yet need further upgrading.

References

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