It's Science, Jim, but not as we know it…

Phasers and Transporters may be a little out of our reach just yet, but scientists in Loughborough have announced another piece of technology from Star Trek could soon become reality.

Researchers at Loughborough University are developing a device which measures vital health signs from a distance without the need for skin contact. The device could one day be used to measure blood flow, monitor heart rate and assess how ell wounds and burns are healing.

Using a conventional technique call photoplethysmography (PPG), the unit identifies potential health problems by shining light on to specific parts of the body. Health is determined by how well the light is absorbed.

However, it may be a few years before this technology can be put to full use according to Vincent Crabtree, one of the researchers on the project. "The remote PPG signal quality has only been investigated over a range of several centimetres so far".

Friday, 4 October 2002