Star Trek fans have long wished for a world where they could use a single tool to take multi-faceted measurements of the environment around them, but Dr. Peter Jansen is making it a reality with The Tricorder Project. Started when he was a graduate student at McMaster University, the Project consists of Jansen designing, building, and then open-sourcing designs for actual working Tricorders. The first model, dubbed the Tricorder Mark 1, was a proof-of-concept that allowed Jansen to take atmospheric, electromagnetic, and spatial measurements. He followed that up with the more elaborate Mark 2, which runs Linux, features twin OLED displays, and uses upgradeable sensor boards for easy swapping.
Jensen’s website. (And “Probably the nerdiest contest you will ever enter.”)
Related: Blackberry Founder Mike Lazaridis starting $100 million project to realize “Star Trek future.”
Star Treky Bonus: Spock: Teenage Outcast. (Originally from My Star Trek Scrapbook.)
• Awesome Tricorder tape recorder image from over here.