THE DOCTOR IS IN... YOUR DEVICE: "... Smartphones are democratizing medicine in ways we never have seen before....".

• Author: Glorikian, Harry
• Position: MEDICINE & HEALTH

"STAR TREK" was ahead of its time in many ways, and not just because the sci-fi franchise portrayed a future several centuries after the series first aired in the 1960s. The cult classic TV show/films foresaw what life might be like in the 23rd century, when humankind would be hurtling on spaceships through unknown universes. Much of the show was fantasy, of course, but the series has been heralded for foreshadowing the future with uncanny accuracy. Dozens of articles have appeared on the topic, even one in the venerable Scientific American. Many tech writers have credited the show with anticipating and even inspiring the advent of myriad of modern technologies, including iPads, flat-screen TVs, Bluetooth headsets, Google Glass, sliding doors, and chatbots like Siri that can answer our questions and complete tasks.

Perhaps no technology imagined by "Star Trek" has enticed more international interest than the medical tricorder. The device, which resembled a clunky transistor radio on the original show, included a small, detachable scanner that Dr. McCoy, Spock, or other Enterprise crew member could use to instantly diagnose the health of a human or Vulcan. The magical medical tricorder then pushed the patient's clinical information to a master databank, allowing intergalactic doctors to learn more about all life to help further hone the technology. As I am about to explain, we are not as far off from this scenario as you might think.

Since the tricorder's first appearance, the device has inspired endless intrigue, spurring both techies and Trekkies to try to re-create the tool for real life use. The technology needed to devise a modern-day tricorder, however, has long lagged behind the enthusiasm to do so. In 2014, telecom giant Qualcomm hoped to speed the science along, launching a global competition called the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE and offering $10,000,000 to anyone who could create a tricorder that diagnosed 13 different medical conditions and monitored five vital signs, all independent of a physician. Qualcomm's intent was to give people control over their own health care--a theme of patient empowerment that you will see associated with many AI-enabled medical machines.

Eight international teams were selected to show off their prototype tricorders and compete for the grand prize. Although none were completely successful in meeting the competition's demands, several came close, and the XPRIZE Foundation awarded more than $3,000,000 to the top-scoring two teams and an additional $100,000 "Bold Epic Innovator" award to a third, donating more than $5,000,000 of the remaining original purse to ongoing efforts in consumer testing and adaption of tricorders for hospital use in developing...