Medical Gadget Scans Vital Signs From 40 Feet Away
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate is developing a Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT) that can check a person's body temperature, heart rate and respiration up to 40 feet away. Dvice says the health gadget uses Laser Doppler Vibrometry to determine a person's vital signs in just 30 seconds.
Instead of spending the 3 to 5 minutes per person just to determine how injured someone is, this can do that in 30 seconds. It works with frickin' lasers, using Laser Doppler Vibrometry to determine vital signs. It will be rolled out for its first trials this fall, but it's still under development, with a goal of eventually shrinking it into the size of a thin laptop.
We love that Homeland Security is looking at Star Trek for medical solutions. The headline on Homeland Security's description of the device reads, "To Boldly Go Where No Medical Response Has Gone Before." This is a poor imitation of the awesome disease-finding Star Trek medical tricorder but it is a start in the right direction. It could be very useful for finding people trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building. In an emergency situation it could also help you could ascertain which injured people require the most urgent attention.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate is developing a Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT) that can check a person's body temperature, heart rate and respiration up to 40 feet away. Dvice 
