Alexandra Carmichael

June 1, 2009

The US Department of Homeland Security has invented a Star Trek-like tricorder. Called the Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT), it can measure pulse, body temperature, and respiration from up to 40 feet away. The obvious application is for emergency response teams, but why not have a tricorder stationed conveniently in your bedroom and office to monitor yourself, and ideally upload your physiological readings continuously to a data analytics website?

Here is an excerpt, and the whole news release is here:

The magic behind SPTT is a technology known as Laser Doppler
Vibrometry, which has been used in aircraft and automotive components,
acoustic speakers, radar technology, and landmine detection. When
connected to a camera, the vibrometer can measure the velocity and
displacement of vibrating objects. An algorithm then converts those
data points into measurements emergency medical responders can use in
their rapid assessment of a patient’s critical medical conditions.