Star Trek Influence On Medical Technology

In this paper I will argue, why the Star Trek franchise, is one of the great influences of 21st century medicinal technology. Technology used in Star Trek are gadgets for the basic assumptions of how the future might look are in their most primordial state. Each medical device was more of an idea, a basic concept of what things should do rather than anything that got too bogged down in actual science. Surprising number of fanciful ideas and technologies that appeared on the show over the years have come to pass in the real world. And in the endless loop of life imitating art, many of the futuristic technologies introduced on the show are now a reality. The Starships in the franchise, including the Enterprise is equipped with a tractor beam.
Spock first surveys a planet, he carries a hand-held device to record data, data analysis and sensory scanning of the new environment. This was one of the more useful medical devices since it measured everything from detecting disease to oxygen levels. The Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development - Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) is a handheld device, enabling NASA crew members to perform complex laboratory tests on a thumb-sized cartridge with a press of a button. Current cartridges target only bacteria and fungi. New cartridges, which are to be launched on subsequent flights, will target bacteria only, followed by groups of bacteria, and eventually individual species or strains that pose a specific risk to crew health. Cartridges would also be adapted to detect chemical substances of concern to crew safety on the International Space Station and proteins in urine, saliva, and blood of astronauts to provide added information for medical diagnosis. In 2017, Qualcomm awarded a $2.6 million to Final Frontier Medical Devices for the Tricorder prototype DxtER (pronounced “Dexter). In 2013, The X prize Foundation, dared groups to invent a mobile health-monitoring device similar to the one featured on "Star Trek." The objective was to produce a device that uses artificial intelligence to learn from clinical emergency medicine using data from patients seen in the emergency room. Final Frontier Medical Devices invented an instrument that combines emergency medicine and engineering in one device. This device will collect data about the patients’ chemistry, vital signs and other information with noninvasive sensors. It’s intended to reach out to people in urban areas where there is limited access to major medical centers, but it could also be used to support medical personnel in refugee camps. The device can monitor respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure. This tricorders