About the Tricorder Project

For more information, please visit http://www.tricorderproject.org

One of the most beautiful aspects of science is that while there is so much we can see and smell and feel around us, there's an inconceivably large universe around us full of things we can't directly observe. The Tricorder project aims to develop handheld devices that can sense a diverse array of phenomena that we can't normally see, and intuitively visualize them so we might see temperature or magnetism or pressure as naturally as we see colour.

The Tricorder project emphasizes accessibility. The devices we build are meant to be as inexpensive as possible, so folks might have access to them without having to worry about the cost, or their difficulty of use. My hope is that someday every household — and every child who wants one — might have access to a small device that can easily be kept close in a pocket or bag, and quickly pulled out when curiosity strikes. By turning a walk home through the park into a nature walk, and Dad's spring time home repairs into a lesson about heat flow, it's my hope that everyday experiences will become opportunities to learn and develop an intuitive understanding and deep fluency with the science of our everyday world.

It is my deep belief that knowledge brings about positive change. It's possible that the same instrument that can show a child how much chlorophyll is in a leaf could also show how them much pollution is in the air around us, or given off by one's car. As an educator and a researcher, I feel that if people could easily discover things about their worlds that were also important social topics, that they would then make positive social choices, like reducing their emissions, or petitioning for cleaner industry in their communities. By having access to general tools, people can learn about leaves, or air, or clouds, or houses — or light, or magnetism, or temperature — or anything the Tricorder can help them see.

Most of all, the Tricorder is designed to discover things that we don't already know. I'm excited about what you can discover with it. And that's what it's about. Little discoveries, everywhere.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Anachronism47]

Great to see someone enthusiastic about science and the positive influence Star Trek can have on the world.

I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavour.

[Barack Lasagna]

needs a geiger counter too ;p

[Evan Soot]

just made one they are awesome

[Evan Soot]

i want one



[80sEdit]

I WANT ONE

[KraftLand]

I want one!

[JRLprimary]

Richard Feynman on the bookshelf. For the win.

[Daniel Landsness]

Nerd!

[MrSquareyez]

wont be long and star trek will no longer be sci-fi.

But i think once its not, you'll have to join the navy, or military to get on board a ship, they wont let just any average joe go into space which is bull

[MrCamelneck]

THE QUESTION REMAINS:

DOES IT SOUND LIKE A TRICORDER?

[MrCamelneck]

Or a Dalek ....

[TheDemotricus]

That should be pretty easy if its running Linux.