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Medical tricorders on the cheap |
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Written by Derek Kessler on
Thursday, 01 May 2008
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 If you’ve ever been to the hospital or even watched a show like House or ER, you know that medical scanners like ultrasounds and x-rays are large bulky machines that have no place in a field environment. And being that you’re here, you probably watch Star Trek and know that the future is filled with all sorts of handheld medical scanners that can do everything from diagnose the common cold to performing a complete physical with the flick of a wrist. Well, that day has come closer, with medical engineers coupling handheld scanners with everyday cellular phones to create a modern day tricorder.
Unlike Star Trek’s tricorders, however, the new cell phone/scanner combo would not do the heavy lifting. Instead, any variety of handheld scanners can be connected via a simple USB connection to a cell phone, upload the collected data to a server for processing, which would then send back to the phone the final ultrasound or x-ray images.
Roughly three quarters of the world’s population does not have access to advanced medical scanners like ultrasounds and x-rays, which can be used for everything from examining broken bones to detecting tumors to monitoring fetuses. Most of those without access live in rural areas and developing nations where the bulky and expensive machines are not available, but very often cell phone service is. The majority of the bulk for most medical imagers are the complicated processors used to analyze the raw data the scanners collect. By separating the scanner from the computer, a cheaper independent field-ready system can be deployed around the world.
With the worldwide network of internet and cellular phone coverage constantly expanding, having a centralized server to process the data from hundreds, if not thousands, of portable scanners would allow for advanced medical imaging technology to be spread to the far corners of the globe. Additionally, it would allow even those in industrialized nations to have readily available access to imaging tech, including rural clinics and even in ambulances.
Apart from just spreading the imaging love, the new scheme would also dramatically lower the cost of medical imaging. One central processor coupled with multiple imagers is estimated to only cost slightly more than a single in-hospital stationary scanner. A single ultrasound machine today costs around US$70,000, whereas just the handheld scanner portion of the device only runs around US$1,000. The USB scanners can be coupled with any data-capable cell phone or even internet-connected computers.
Of course, just distributing the technology to the far reaches of the globe won’t be enough. Around half of the medical equipment in developing countries is not used because it is broken and too expensive to repair, or because it is too complicated to operate without proper training, which like the technology, is not readily available. Any distribution program for the cell phone scanners would have to be coupled with training programs to ensure proper maintenance and operation.
Regardless, we’re one step closer to the tricorder of Star Trek lore. Someday we’ll doubtless be able to diagnose kidney failure with cellular phones, but in the meantime we can still spread the benefits of advanced medical technology to those who need it the most.
Discuss: TrekUnited Forum
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"Your child is having a tantrum, Mr. Spock."
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