I remember reading about this a few months ago and since we now have a Science/Technology category on the site I felt it apt to share this with you.
The guys over at NASA obliviously love Star Trek as much as we do here at Scifiheaven.net and they appear to have created the world’s first working tricorder.
Here is how it works;
The device is plugged in to an iPhone to collect, process and transmit sensor data. The new device is able to detect and identify low concentrations of airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane. The device senses chemicals in the air using a “sample jet” and a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip, which consists of 16 nanosensors, and sends detection data to another phone or a computer via telephone communication network or Wi-Fi.
All we can do now is hope that NASA are also working on the Transporter technology, how much more easier would life be with that technology… imagine not having to drive to work in those horrible icy conditions that are plaguing us, we could just beam there.
I know Lawrence Livermore Labs were doing early experiments with transporter technology, transporting single atoms from side of a room to another, back in the late 90s. Not sure where or how the technology has progressed.
Not far, I fear!