As Scanadu continues to vie for the coveted Qualcomm X-Prize, the company has turned to crowdfunding to bring its medical tricorder to life.

May 23, 2013

3 Min Read
Scanadu Scout Crowdfunds the Tricorder Out of Darkness

As Scanadu continues to vie for the coveted Qualcomm X-Prize, the company has turned to crowdfunding to bring its medical tricorder to life. The Scanadu Scout isn't quite as sophisticated as something you'd find on the starship Enterprise, but if the over $300,000 the company has raised via Indiegogo (triple its funding goal) in only a day is any indication then there are plenty out there who believe it's pretty close.

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 The Scanadu Scout

This is not the first time a device maker has successfully crowdfunded a device, the Shine by MisFit Wearables conducted a successful campaign last year. The dizzying success of the Scanadu campaign could be another step in a trend of potentially disruptive devices finding an initial foothold via crowdfunding.

“The scout will allow people to see the fingerprint of their health in very minute detail,” CEO Walter De Brouwer says in the campaign video. The Scanadu Scout is a portable vital sign monitor capalbe of reading heart rate, temperature, respiratory rate, blood pressure, ECG, blood oxygen, and even emotional stress levels and transmitting the data to a smartphone. All you have to do is hold it up to your forehead for 10 seconds.The new device is built on Micrium, the same real-time operating system that NASA on the Mars rover Curiosity.

 

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The ScanFlo

Addressing the Indiegogo community, Scanadu has stated that an individual Scout will technically be able to handle multiple profiles – meaning family members can share a single device and have it save their information. However it brings up data fidelity issues that will have to be addressed with FDA. Backers in the Indiegogo campaign, will be able to take part in a usability study and provide feedback on feasibility, usability, and consumer friendliness the the company will utilize as it seeks FDA clearance.

 

The company has also announced updates and design for its ScanaFlo – a smartphone-based home urine test kit. The ScanFlo will feature a disposable paddle with multi-colored strips and a built-in QR code that will allow it to send urine analysis to a smartphone including glucose, protein, leukocytes, nitrates, blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, specific gravity, pH in urine, and pregnancy.

 

Both devices will also have features enabling consumers to share their health data with a physician. Scanadu says it is ready to begin clinical trials on the ScanFlo and will be submitting a 510(k) application to FDA in July 2013. The Scout is expected to ship in first quarter 2014 with ScanFlo also being sent to IndieGogo supporters pending FDA approval of the paddles.  

 

-Chris Wiltz, Associate Editor, MD+DI

 

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With First Product Offerings, Scanadu Hopes to Reboot Home Healthcare

 

Channelling Star Trek, Scanadu CEO Explains His Vision for Bringing the Tricorder to Life

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