The Closest Thing to a Medical Tricorder?

The medical tricorder, that transistor radio-sized device that Dr. Leonard McCoy would wave over patients for a diagnosis, is a holy grail of sorts in the medical device field. There is even a $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE that has seven finalist teams presently competing, with an award winner expected by next year. (Qmed actually wrote about the finalists before--when there were 10.) 

Potentially one of the closest devices to a tricorder yet comes out of research at the University of California, San Diego. The Chem-Phys patch is able to provide real-time tracking of both biochemical and electric signals. It can track electrocardiogram (EKG) signals, as well as levels of lactate, a biochemical that is a marker of physical effort. 

Stanford University researchers, meanwhile, say they are only years away from a tricorder-like device that could "hear" cancer.

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[Image of the Chem-Phys patch courtesy of the University of California, San Diego. Promo shot from original Star Trek series is public domain.]