Doctor creates his own Tricorder

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A flow diagram of the Science Tricorder Mark 1, showing the major components and data paths

The motherboard and sensor boards for Version 1 being placed into the enclosure with the LCD display

Version 1 of Jansen's Science Tricorder was powered by six AAA-type batteries

When closed, the Science Tricorder was a snug fit for a pocket

The 2.7-inch, 240 x 160 resolution color display screen of Version 1

Version 1 has the outward look of the handheld TR-560 device first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation

The top of Version 1 showing the device's sensors

Version 1 showing ambient temperature and humidity

The motherboard, sensor boards, and display installed into the top of the Tricorder

Much of the initial hardware and software for Version 1 was developed on a prototyping board and tested before designing the printed circuit board set

The folded Version 2 Science Tricorder by Dr Peter Jansen

Version 2 has three ports on the top right side, a microSD slot, a USB device port that acts as a serial console, and a USB Host port that allows one to connect an external USB device

The choice of OLED display brings the data to life

The bottom of the motherboard showing the three ports

The top of the Science Tricorder Mark 2 motherboard, with the top OLED display visible

The 2.8-inch, 320 x 240 resolution OLED display connected to a breadboard via a breakout board for the 61-pin display connector

As you can see, the top of the casing that houses the sensors has not been completed

Dr Peter Jansen has so far created two prototype Science Tricorders featuring an array of atmospheric, electromagnetic, and spatial sensors, and is now on his way to building a third

The sensors of the the Mark 2 Tricorder are picking up the heat of the hand in front and displaying the information onscreen

Version 2 power board showing the power jack, charger, and lithium polymer battery protection circuit

The front of the unit's sensor board, which has its own processor

A flow diagram of the Science Tricorder Mark 2, showing the major components and data paths

Image of the now abandoned Version 3 Science Tricorder

Article Summary

If Star Trek has taught us anything, it's the importance of gathering as much information about the alien planet you've just been beamed onto as quickly as possible. To that end, the Science Officer on the away team would perform a quick scan of the surroundings with a handheld, multifunctional sensing device called a Tricorder. Fortunately, we now live in an age where the science fiction of yesteryear is increasingly becoming the science fact of today, and the once futuristic Tricorder is no exception. For his Tricorder Project, Canada's Dr Peter Jansen has designed and built some pocket-friendly devices housing a number of sensors which reveal the secrets of the unseen world around us.

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