How ‘Star Trek’ medical gizmo’s the real McCoy
IN Star Trek, Dr McCoy could diagnose patients in an instant using his trusted ‘tricorder’.
Now, a real-life equivalent has been developed, potentially giving medics the ability to diagnose health issues at the touch of a button.
Researchers at Birmingham’s Aston University have produced a working desktop prototype of a machine that can take readings from blood and human tissue using laser beams.
It has been successfully trialled at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, while a portable prototype – with applications beyond medicine – is being worked on.
Developers at the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) said the device allows a range of tests to be carried out ‘quickly and painlessly’.
It means the once fanciful idea depicted in Star Trek, which sees doctors using tricorders to effortlessly diagnose a variety of ailments, may soon become reality.
The machine uses three separate lasers to monitor how effectively blood is delivered to tissue, measure blood-oxygen levels and look at cell metabolism.
It works painlessly by shining lasers on the patient’s skin.
That data is then instantly processed by a computer, which produces a simple graph.
The device has already had practical applications and has been used in diagnostic procedures for strokes and skin cancers.
It is non-invasive as no needles are necessary. The developers say it can constantly monitor blood delivery above the eyebrows, helping doctors to mitigate risks of stroke in patients with hypertension.
Researchers also say it can precisely identify the margins of head, neck and skin cancers, which could help reduce the risk of tumours returning.
A prototype wearable monitor has been developed which could be used by athletes. Much of the technology is ready to go into production, and the university recently launched Aston Medical Technology to commercialise its inventions.
Professor Edik Rafailov, of AIPT, said: ‘This technology will allow a range of tests to be taken quickly, painlessly and without any reason for patients to feel nervous – there are no needles involved.
‘Results are instantaneous, which is better for patients and more efficient for healthcare providers.’
His colleague, senior research fellow Dr Sergei Sokolovsky, said: ‘We’ve managed to bring together multiple technologies in a machine that is compact, simple to use and – from a patient’s perspective – extremely user-friendly.
‘This is a huge step forward in terms of improving the speed of diagnostic work and also in terms of reducing invasive tests.’