Dr. Beverly Crusher uses a tricorder in 2369.
The medical tricorder is a specialized version of the standard tricorder. It is equipped with sensors and analysis software tailored for medical diagnostic purposes. They are usually the first tool a Starfleet doctor utilizes when assessing a patient's condition. Medical tricorders can function aboard ship in sickbay as well as on away missions.
Medical tricorder functions
Medical tricorder with scanner attached, circa 2370.
Medical tricorders used throughout the years have been essentially similar in design to that of the standard tricorder, with the same available features and interface. The major difference is the addition of a deployable hand scanner. While some standard tricorders also have removable scanners, the medical tricorder's is much more advanced and can provide detailed scans of an entire individual, or give focus to a single area. (TOS: "The Man Trap," TNG: "When the Bough Breaks") It is not necessary to use the scanner for the tricorder to function. The scanner can be separated from the tricorder, either to feed data to another source (TNG: "Up the Long Ladder") or not be attached to the tricorder at all. (DS9: "Babel")
The 24th century versions of the tricorder are equipped with holographic imaging diodes. (TNG: "The Chase") By 2375, medical tricorders can provide detailed genetic analyses with only a scan as a base reference. (Star Trek: Insurrection)
While the suite of sensors installed on medical tricorders is advanced, it is generally no substitute for the advanced and specialized equipment in a sickbay facility. (TNG: "Genesis," "All Good Things...") Genetically-engineered microviruses were not generally detected by a standard medical tricorder scan. (TNG: "The Vengeance Factor")
Tricorders can communicate with many Starfleet devices, including PADDs and a starship library computer. They are also designed to work closely with the surgical support frame attached to a biobed. (TNG: "Identity Crisis," "Realm of Fear") In conjunction with a neural pad, a medical tricorder could be used to link the nervous system of a healthy individual to that of an injured individual in order to stabilize the injured for transport. (TNG: "Transfigurations")
Medical tricorders can be configured to briefly disrupt a forcefield. (TNG: "Attached")
Medical tricorder versions
Medical tricorder, 2266. |
Medical tricorder, 2273. |
Medical tricorder, circa 2370. |
Medical tricorder, 2372. |
Medical tricorder, 2379. |
2260s
This tricorder was essentially the same as the science tricorder of the same era. The hand scanner was stored in a compartment below the data chip bay. (TOS: "The Man Trap," DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
- Like most original series props, the tricorders were designed by Wah Chang.
2280s
Most Starfleet technology was redesigned after the refit of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701. The tricorders were no different. This version resembled that of the 2260s in the fact that its controls and readouts were located in a flip-open area at the top of the device, and it was gripped by the sides of its body. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Some doctors, like Dr. McCoy still preferred a smaller, palm-sized scanner device. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
2360s
By the 2360s, the tricorders were completely redesigned, identified as TR-560 Tricorder VI in the Starfleet inventory. They now had many more controls which ran the length of the device, which were accessed by opening a hinged lid. The medical version was slightly longer than the standard version. The medical sensors and hand scanner were contained in a short extension of the top of the device. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, TNG: "The Naked Now")
- This version of the tricorder was designed by Rick Sternbach.
2366
In late 2366, the tricorders received minor upgrades, to the TR-580 Tricorder VII model. The medical tricorder was the last to be replaced. The new version was essentially similar to the version introduced in the 2360s, but the font style on the interfaces was changed to a Starfleet standard. The color palette was slightly reworked as well, with the "EMRG" button changing from white to black. The medical sensor unit was also equipped with additional sensor ports. This tricorder is featured in the opening image. (TNG: "Transfigurations")
- In this debut episode of the new medical tricorder prop, Dr. Beverly Crusher almost always had one in her hand. This tricorder was further modified by the sixth season of TNG, where its display interface was upgraded with a new graphic resembling those found in the Enterprise-D sickbay. The revised tricorder was essentially similar to Rick Sternbach's earlier design. The props were built by modelmaker Ed Miarecki.
2372
By 2372, another version, the TR-590 Tricorder X was introduced. It is an upgraded version of the TR-580, but is much more streamlined and compact. The standard and medical editions are almost physically indistinguishable. The medical tricorder still contains the familiar hand scanner tucked into the back of the device rather than in a separate compartment on the unit's top. They were capable of scanning for temporal variance in chroniton fields. (VOY: "Before and After")
- It is not clear what happened to Tricorders VIII and IX, if they were even placed into service at all. In an interesting curiosity, the USS Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant with the 2366 version of the tricorder, only to have the new versions magically appear during the first episodes filmed for the second season.
2379
A new variant of the medical tricorder entered service in 2379. It resembles a PADD more than previous tricorders, with a large touchscreen dominating the face of the device. It is not hinged as with the previous versions. (Star Trek: Nemesis)
- Whether or not this tricorder has or will completely replace the Mark X is unclear; both versions were in use aboard the Enterprise-E during Nemesis.
See also: medical equipment, tricorder, sensor devices