Friday, April 13, 2012

Scientist beams up a real "Star Trek" tricorder


A scientific measurement device developed by Dr. Peter Jansen, a PhD graduate of the Cognitive Science Laboratory at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, based on the tricorders used by Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and other space adventurers on the classic TV series that has spawned numerous spin-offs in more than 45 year, is pictured in this undated publicity photograph provided to Reuters April 13, 2012. REUTERS/Courtesy Dr. Peter Jansen/Handout
LOS ANGELES | Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:13pm EDT
 
(Reuters) - Starships, warp speed, transporters, phasers. Think "Star Trek" technology is only the stuff of fiction? Think again.
Dr. Peter Jansen, a PhD graduate of the Cognitive Science Laboratory at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, has developed a scientific measurement device based on the tricorders used by Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and other space adventurers on the classic TV series that has spawned numerous spin-offs in more than 45 years.
"Star Trek inspired me to be a scientist" said Jansen, who has been formally working on his tricorder prototypes since 2007, but toying with the idea of making a functioning device since he was "a kid in high school."
The 29-year-old Jansen's school days spanned the late 1990s when "Star Trek: Voyager" was on the air. It featured his favorite tricorder, a model with screens on top and bottom.

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/13/us-startrek-tricorder-idUSBRE83C1FK20120413

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