Linux Powered Real Star Trek Tricorder - It Is So Real!

If using a Star Trek Tricorder in real life is in your all time wish list, then probably its time to put a check mark in front of it. Peter Janson, a PhD student of cognitive science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario has created his own Tricorder device which much or less works same as the Star Trek Tricorder. It is an open source project, so you can also make your own Tricorder!

#-Link-Snipped-#

Peter started the tricorder project in 2007 and he has developed several models till now under TAPR non-commercial hardware license. First model named Tricorder Mark 1 was the preliminary experiment whose domain was limited to take atmospheric, electromagnetic and spatial measurements. The next model i.e. Tricorder Mark 2 was more sophisticated as it was powered by Debian Linux which runs on ARM920T based Atmel micro controller. It also featured OLED resistive touchscreen panel and a rechargeable lithium polymer battery. Reportedly plan for Mark 3 was dropped due to some reasons and currently Peter is working on Tricorder Mark 4. On the official website of “#-Link-Snipped-#”, Peter wrote, “I think for me, it’s really about curiosity.  And helping to find ways to see and intuitively visualize the world around us, to help share that curiosity, and get folks excited about science.”

Obviously, this tricorder is not going to help you find Alien species but it sure is something better than just a toy and it also resembles the actual Star Trek design!  Developing tricorder is not a new thing and specially after the announcement of #-Link-Snipped-#,  which promises a $10 million prize for developing a full working tricorder. Peter’s tricorder is still some steps away from winning the prize due to its limited functionality as currently it measures Atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure, magnetic field, ambient light and colors. No matter how much functionality smart phones get, nothing can match the feeling of owning a star trek device. Interested geeks can check the official tricorder project website www.tricorderproject.org.

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