Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tricorders

[@obso1337]

Really honored to see my projects in your video. This is a fantastic round up of Tricorder facts and I am thrilled to be a small part of it. Yes my project is a labour of intense love for the Tricorder because in my opinion the Tricorder DEFINES Star Trek as a science fiction offering. No other sci fi takes such pains to give the lowly scanner such top billing. I can't think of any show that gives their scanner device a name, let alone features it prominently right from the very start to the point where it almost becomes a character itself. Every space show has a ray gun or FTL, but only Star Trek has Tricorders. Thanks again for all the love. -Your friend in trek. 🖖 LLAP!

[@GSBarlev]

Your devotion to this project is an inspiration. Keep up the good work!

[@williamszewski4055]

They will be purchasable maybe right? :D Even as a kit?

[@marilynsobel7414]

Your work is amazing!

[@FoxMagi]

The fact that you can fit so much into a TNG style tricorder is amazing!

[@SevCaswell]

I think the reason it is the tricorder that gets so much attention in the Trek universe is Roddenberry's commitment to peace, and coexistence over conflict. Other shows are all about war and personal conflict, thus the guns are prioritised, but in Roddenberry's vision humanity learns how to exist without the need for constant interpersonal conflict and becomes a more peaceful, reasonable species.

[@JasonBoyce]

It’s so wild to see people building REAL tri-corders based off of the show. Art definitely influencing reality 😂

[@invisiblejaguar1]

It just reinforces my belief and hope that our potential does open the doors for a Star Trek future, humanity is amazing 🖖

[@petevenuti7355]

And have you seen the space 1999 comm systems built from the eyepieces of old camcorders? I have a playlist on my channel..

[@Mogget01]

I believe the kid that’s been trying to create on for like 15 years now, basically revolutionized diabetes tests. I believe he figured out how to test it without puncturing the skin and drawing blood, which is amazing. The people I know that have diabetes have told me it’s the tests that end up becoming the hardest part

[@evolzippo]

*Austrian Accent* “Do it now!”

[@Number6_]

As it should do.

[@IamJustJ.]

Fun fact, Motorola's original flip phone was called a Communicator. Paramount sued them and Motorola changed the model line to the "Star Tac" afterwards.

[@GSBarlev]

Paramount's lawyers were no joke. One of the first Android apps I installed on my G1 was "Tricorder," which gave you direct access to your phone's _rather impressive_ sensor suite and wrapped it in an LCARS interface. Paramount got it taken off the Play Store, but luckily the APK kicked around for years.

[@Watcher1134]

Did you notice the smart phone at the beginning having 3:14 aka Pi

[@williampike6813]

That is a really petty thing to sue for

[@dakotahrickard]

I had one of those and used it until the charging port broke. I felt sooooo cool!

[@derekedmondson9909]

That wasn’t the first Motorola flip phone. That was the Micro-TAC. The Star TAC was the first “wearable” flip phone.

[@kev3d]

Okay, that Pi-Corder is pretty damned badass.

[@silmarian]

When Android was first a thing, there was a super cool tricorder app that displayed data from all your phone’s sensors but also data from various satellites for things like solar wind flux and cosmic rays.

[@GSBarlev]

Yep. Paramount got it de-listed, but you could still sideload it for quite a few years. Great app.

[@pauljensen5699]

I had it too. Good times.

[@MrNest.]

Yes. I was able to back up mine before it was removed from the play store. I keep a copy of it on my old Note Edge still!

[@pauljensen5699]

@@MrNest. I sadly didn't have the foresight to do that.

[@silmarian]

@@MrNest. I’m super envious! I should have done that.

[@JurorNumber24]

Surprised you didn't quote Jadzia fawning over the old tricorder design

[@Centauri27]

Lol yeah, that was a great scene, watching Jadzia caress that old design. 😆

[@mutanix]

I still have my Playmates TR-560. I remember trying to scan my Christmas presents when I was a kid.

[@tlouiseallen9302]

I have a old TNG tricorder still in its box. My son bought it for me. As well as a TOS communicator, some ornaments, dolls and other collectibles. I have great (now adults) kids.

[@seantlewis376]

I've wanted a tricorder since I was a kid in the 70s. Fifty years later, I have what's called a smartphone, for which the phone function is the one I use the least, that has way more than three functions. Try saying to a techie "I want to do X," without hearing back, "There's an app for that."

[@brodriguez11000]

Early Samsung phone had a lot of the sensors.

[@ExcuseMePhoney]

of all your videos, this might be the one that made me most happy and hopeful. It is so amazing and encouraging to see that the science fiction that started coming out in 1966 is now influencing things that can save peoples lives today. THIS IS WHAT STAR TREK WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE!

[@kevinwestrom4775]

Loved this episode. ❤️ This was the best, most useful gadget ever created by a sci-fi TV series.

[@SNOWSTAR83]

There was another company in the 90s which released an actual functional tricorder: It barely resembled the design and was capable of scanning temperature, something like that. There was an article about that in the 30th anniversary magazine. Just to let you know

[@asbrand]

Tri-Corder Mk. I, from 1996. Just saw one on eBay, unopened!

[@doc2w534]

We used them at Space Camp in Huntsville from 1997-1999. They could also analyze color samples.

[@SNOWSTAR83]

@@doc2w534 was it worth it?

[@SNOWSTAR83]

@@asbrand how much?

[@asbrand]

@@SNOWSTAR83- it was listed for like $899 or so. Way outta my price range. :)

[@IMDARKFIRE007]

It's cool how much tech Star Trek predicted we would have in the future DECADES before the first came out. TOS Communicator = flip cell phone, TNG pads = Ipad. Tricorders? Yea, have a GOOD look at the smart watch....they can detect your vitals AKA life signs, they can help you navigate strange geographic areas AKA GPS, read weather conditions...if that doesn't sound like a mark 1 tricorder I don't know what does.

[@AgentExeider]

well one could say predicted, but another could say actively inspired. Many of the people who invent these technologies will say they are fans of and watch star trek. the utility of such devices make them good ideas, so why not try and make them reality.

[@FoxMagi]

The data tapes of TOS era trek are the size and shape of a 3.5 floppy disc. I think the isolinear chips of TNG look to be about the same shape and size of a nVME drive.. We just need to be able to hot plug them and we're good to go.

[@brodriguez11000]

@@FoxMagi Waiting for gel packs.

[@VTX00128]

​@@FoxMagii was thinking of USB drives size wise and hot swapping.

[@jdslyman1720]

@@brodriguez11000LOL! The ISO chips are better, as they could not get "sick". In fact, if I remember right, Voyager had a backup system that used ISO chips if something happened with the gel packs.

[@BlindIo42]

I remember about 10+ years ago there was an Android Tricorder app that used the LCARS interface and used raw data from your phone, including GPS satellite map and signal strength, accelerometer, light meter, Wifi analyzer, cell signal, temperature, and just about every other data channel a phone at the time had. It disappeared after the studio threatened the creator.

[@dwightsmith5174]

Always some jerk(s) ruining it for everyone! I had it also - was great!

[@Dantrag01]

What an amazing nostalgic video. Thank you PDM and Alphineus. Luke thank you for sharing your insights and memories. I will say.. I am happy that I’ve been pronouncing Tsojcanth properly all these years!

[@schmodedo]

OMG if I could go back to the 70's and tell my younger self to hold on to those action figures and bridge playset. Not for monetary value but the nostalgia is priceless.

[@stevengalloway8052]

Appreciate the info about the little things in Star Trek that we take for granted! 👍

[@SpaceyO2]

I had the Meeco tricorder cassette recorder. I still have the cassette... Unfortunately the ST audio faded away over the years, but on the "blank" side I still have my late mother's and grandfather's voices preserved from 1977 🙂

[@mac11380]

Transfer those voices to a cd or thumb drive before they go bad too.

[@paulneese]

Seán, you are a a purely wonderful person, and the epitome of the Star Trek ethos. There really aren’t words to adequately do justice to the meaningful impact you have had on so many people. I feel inspired and invigorated by what you share with this online community. Thank you!!! And… Live Long and Prosper, Health and long life, Cheers, and all those 😊good things to you! I will also say that as much as we love things like the immortal Riker maneuver, I would like to suggest that we give the name “Ferrick Maneuver” to whatever hopeful and good hearted awesomeness may spring forth from the wonderful messages you share ❤️

[@chefdean7257]

I now need Badgey to have an equally psychotic companion.

[@zedoniverse]

Called Tricey! XD

[@twocvbloke]

Psychy the Tricie... :P

[@tetravega567]

"Something is interfering with the scan..." Must be why it's called a TRY-corder

[@AlexandarHullRichter]

Master Yoda would of course use a DO-corder!

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

Badum Tss!

[@MrRnipperBrockleBroadcasting]

I remember using an early Phillips “portable cassette recorder” in about 1967 that outwardly looked very like the TOS tricorder complete with black leather case and shoulder strap.

[@nedisings]

I live in a beach town in Southern California, and your surfer accent is excellent.

[@Earthstar_Review]

I had wondered what happened to that app. Was surprisingly useful.

[@BigEpinstriping]

A Flipper Zero can do a lot of Tricorder-esque things on it's own, and it also has GPIO so you can add sensors and other peripherals much like a raspberry pi; It has massive potential to become a tricorder of sorts.

[@haweater1555]

6:00 From the moment I first saw the tricorder closeup on TNG's "The Chase" , it looked the hinge on the prop was falling apart.

[@dans-designs]

Great video! I like the shout out to fan made Picorders too! I'm working on an Open-Source commercial Tricorder I am calling a "Scicorder" inspired by the Nemesis Tricorder without the LCARS display as that seems to be the main thing that got the Android Tricorder App taken down..

[@kevinwestrom4775]

The first designation for the tricorder was TR-580, as an homage to the 80s computer TRS-80 (Tandy RadioShack-80 personal microcomputer).

[@mooniejohnson]

I’ve always loved that the “EMRG” button is riiiiiight where my thumb would naturally go, given my hand size and being a righty. One of the many reasons I was assigned to Starbase 80.

[@brookestephen]

I think of programming lidar, stereo digital cameras and stereo digital microphones to create VR models of objects around the tricorder in 3d and real time! That would be my first pass at a mobile sensor platform. You could investigate the resulting VR models of people places and things from any angle, stopping and rewinding and fast forwarding. THAT would be pretty cool! With digital input, you could calculate things like the light sources, colors and strengths, the origins of sounds, who said what and when... just wow

[@CAP198462]

Wow. There’s some really gifted people out there who are committed to Star Trek’s vision.

[@VTX00128]

My late father was one of them a Software Engineer. He was part of development team for medical MRI and CT machines. He was always tinkering around with technology definitely from the school of Montgomery (Scotty) Scott of Engineering. 🖖 I Miss you dad.

[@berthulf]

Old? You're not even off the apron strings yet, kid! Loved this, it was absolutely fascinating!

[@Mr_Kenneth]

A friend took my ST:TNG Tricorder to an important engineering presentation. Just before they tested the new mechanical device, he whipped out the tricorder complete with flashing lights and beeps to check it was functioning properly. The big honcho pissef himself laughing

[@smada36]

I have a TNG tricorder keyring somewhere. It would flash lights and make the sound when opened. Must have bought that in the mid nineties.

[@KGray24666]

Mentioned both Klingon and Romulan Tricorders but no Mention of T'Pol's Vulcan version in Enterprise? Or wasn't that Roundish device she carried around classified as such?

[@genericasian]

I think for Enterprise, every scanning device was referred to as a palm scanner. A way to indicate that the tricorder hadn't been "invented" yet? Evert piece of tech was named "slightly worse" than what we were used to. Phase cannons/phase pistols, photonic torpedoes (not quite as good as photon torpedoes?), palm scanners, protein resequencers, etc. ...also Reed alert. 😂

[@asbrand]

I seem to remember back in the 90s (or maybe very early 2000s) there was a Tricorder Mk. I released that could do a few things. Just did a quick search...yep, back in 1996. Even see one available on eBay right now!

[@xX19shegod19Xx]

Pure Joy!! 🫶🏽 Thank you!!

[@zedoniverse]

9:12 It's Tricey! Rutherford made a buddy for Godgey (Badgey)

[@NatorGreen7000]

The Army Chemical Corps has something incredible like a tricorder called a true defender. It's this small box with this bendy laser bit. You point the laser at anything and it will tell you what the thing is made of. There are also a variety of "sniffers" that can test the air for anything at the most expensive and specific things at the cheap end.

[@gregkral4467]

I loved my motorola startac..... it was awesome. And tough as nails in my experience.

[@The_Lost_Subrosian]

Mr. Tricorder

[@shaunrene1]

This was aswsome!

[@clydesight]

I always thought the original Tricorder was based on the designs of cassette recorders of the day (starting in the U.S. around 1965). At the time, the cassette recorders were the newest tech and everybody wanted one! The black leatherette case and shoulder straps were common at the time in many cheap Japanese cassette recorders. There was a cassette recorder made by Lloyd's of Japan, that had a sloped keyboard panel (it used the push button keys instead of a "T" switch (Philips) and it came with a very nice leatherette case and strap. It sort of looked and felt like a tricorder of the time. it also sounded pretty good and worked well. Some advertisements showed people carrying their cassette recorders in theri leather cases picnics and about town, hanging from the straps, looking a lot like the Enterprise crew. The MEGO toy simply put IN the cassette mechanism. It looks like they adapted a cheap cassette recorder for the job, and made the appearance different enough from the show (hence it was blue) to avoid a copyright claim against them. Also, at the time the show was being produced, "velour" shirts were a "thing". "Velour" was a type of fake velvet. So, no surprise to see Spock and Kirk et all wearing them. The velour fabric also appeared on the "Lost in Space" costumes.

[@movingforwardz]

Did you just paraphrase Your Disco Needs You? Just when I thought I couldn't love you more.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

You forgot the Tricorder that was seen briefly in Star Trek The Motion Picture

[@philziedler1559]

The toy tape recorder from the 70s. ‘Why was the tape recorder blue blue - Daba di Daba du, as if I know’ Hilarious 😂

[@unnatural-flavor]

Did you guys forget about the big ole boy from The Wrath of Khan with the pistol grip? Or did I just miss it?

[@pauljensen5699]

You missed two bullet points for your show. (Both sorta obscure) A 'working' Tricorder was created in the 1990's and even put on sale for a short time. The other is the Caterpillar S61 phone with air quality sensor, laser measuring device and a thermal camera, all in the space of a cell phone, which that's exactly what it was.

[@shadowhenge7118]

"Da ba dee da ba damned if i know" is iconic.

[@Clownboy15]

Haven’t watched the video yet but I saw the Star Trek 25th Anniversary exhibit at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum when I was a teen. One thing that struck me when I saw some of the TNG props was one: they were not detailed. It was just painted buttons, no labels or anything on them. Two, and this was most surprising, they were made of WOOD! The TOYS actually looked better! Obviously they weren’t hero props but I was still surprised.

[@frankharr9466]

That's pretty neat. Tridorders themsleves are such a good addition to the genera.

[@petepanteraman]

😆 👍👍 I completely forgot about Ricardo's presentation for creating a tricorder IRL.

[@Justin_North]

I'll give you a bonus entry. I work in maintenance for Amazon. We have a program that lets us connect to a lot of machinery, it is named Tricorder. I am not joking. No Jeffreies tubes though, yet.

[@Paul__FC]

Great video, more of this, less Discovery.

[@djsherz]

I preferred the 345 model. It had been voted Tricorder of the Year Best Budget Model three years running. The 345 out-performed the 346 in eight out of nine bench tests.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

6:11 the handheld scanner is called Fienberger scanner.

[@chunkychuck]

I do remember the Voyager tricorders got blue LEDs in the last seasons hehe

[@SciHeartJourney]

Cool into My Dude! 👍 I'm a old as Star Trek, born in '66. 🤣

[@x_hibernia]

That ai prompt gave me chills, the fact that there's a app based off the emh is nuts

[@dakotahrickard]

I remember receiving a tricorder as a gift from my mom. The hinge snapped because of rough handling by other family members. I was so sad. I also kind of ended up wondering if that ever happened (either in real life onset or in canon sometime).

[@survivalizer]

Oh wow! I want one of those manuals. Also... voyager upgraded their equipment when ever they got a communication from earth, ans then they could replicate new ones. They kept their uniforms and the maquis ones to remember where they came from

[@RandomTChance]

I had the TriCorder tape recorder. 🖖🤠

[@seantlewis376]

I wanted that, but my parents bought me a Commodore for Christmas instead.

[@RandomTChance]

@@seantlewis376 I moved at 13 and my Grandparents were supposed to bring it with my Superman 2 poster. Never saw them again. Memories...

[@biteme1167]

I had and still have the original communicator walkie talkies, sold by Sears and Robuck in the late 70's early 80's! They were also blue, with flip open front panel, 2 buttons for yellow and red alert ( with sound effects). There was also an optional "Base Station" model that looked a lot like the personal vid screens in the TOS.

[@RandomTChance]

@@biteme1167 Excellent 🖖😎

[@TempusVulpi]

The Wand Company is never releasing that thing, they've been working on it for so long and I swear the dev log has just gone dead

[@johncameron4194]

Wow the number 2 one. Amazing

[@Vicki_Benji]

I remember these 70's Star Trek toys as a kid.

[@theotakux5959]

Wait, I've been using a Picard-era Tricorder for the past two years!?

[@vogonpoet5860]

People talking about tricorders always seem to forget the 90s Texas instruments tricorder, sold as a trek inspired "First tricorder" this hand held smart phone looking device scanned and measured magnetic fields, botanical fields and weather related ( humidity, pressure, heat). At the time it was priced at £500 approx and was advertised for 2 years before vanishing, amazingly at the same time as the "Star trek original series inspired hypo spray , a needleless hand held pen like device that uses compressed air to deliver a spray of medication fine enough to pass through the skin, allowing diabetics to 'inject' without a painful needle" was announced, advertised then never heard of again (by the public).

[@PMW3]

Wow, Mr Chang really kept himself busy

[@jimbearone]

My Aunt was operated on over 25 years ago using Sonic Scalpels and a Blue Laser was used to seal capillaries and fuse tissues.

[@AC3handle]

what is a amazing is the tricorder's naming method, remain the same, instead of changing to a new naming sequence every decade or so, based on whatever naming committee decides is 'hip' or 'accurate

[@charliehorse8686]

1:58 Wow, look at that panel on the wall -- It looks like they gave a 6th grader had a hand drill and told him to arrange the holes for the lights into a grid pattern.

[@BYWhistory]

in 1996, Vital Technologies made a real life working (kinda) tricorder. It was called the TR-107 Mark 1 and cost like $400

[@lewi7275]

I had two Panasonic tape recorders that had carrying cases with the black strap that looked just like what Spock and Dr. McCoy carry on every landing party

[@augiegirl1]

From the TNG episode “Rightful Heir” Kahless: Tricorder? Is it a weapon? Worf: No, no it is a Tool. 8:04 Jim Payne from the channel Trek World has MULTIPLE videos about the Mego toys.

[@darrenlane6316]

Nice... But can it read Midichlorian counts? (Sarcasm)

[@martyburgess341]

You had me at PiCorder! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@guarand6329]

You left out the Vital Technologies TR-107 tricorder from the 1990's. It had a few real working sensors, future expansion of capabilities was planned but the company went out of business. I still have one I bought directly from the company. On the box it says officially licensed so the model number TR-107 is canon?

[@logannichols5848]

You could do something similar with the more advanced ti calculators and they had real good sensors you could add to them.

[@henrycarlson7514]

interesting , Thank You

[@anon_y_mousse]

The tricorder is my favorite piece of tech in the Trek universe. Every so often I wonder if it would really be possible to make one and realize that to the extent they were used on the show, the answer is an unfortunate and resounding no. So many of the functions from the show would require wired probes to work, and I'm not sure if that will ever change, but it's fun to fantasize.

[@BruceDoesStuff]

What is going on here‽ I'm at 4:18, and have already had 6 ads across 3 ad breaks, whereas every other KZbin channel I watch will have 3 (at most) across a 20-45min video, and 2 for anything in the 10-20min range. If this isn't your own doing, you NEED to talk to your KZbin rep, because it's making your channel more unwatchable than letting Bronzy go off the rails!

[@QBCPerdition]

Weird, I only had one ad break with 2 ads.

[@markp6062]

HA! Good stuff! That was fun.

[@JasonJBrunet]

7:58 Jem Hardarm-band

[@evolzippo]

I was originally expecting this to turn out to be a psychotic episode. But actually, I think she just managed to hide drunk driving for long enough to build up

[@samkavanagh8249]

I would like to see, top 10 Star Trek aliens/things we’ve seen enough of No 1 being the Borg of course 😉😂

[@starclone4]

i`d love to have one of those new Tricorders !!!!

[@silversonic1]

I'll be honest, I never quite understood how they were supposed to see anything on that tiny display. It's kind of like how the Sonic Screwdriver from Doctor Who can scan things and the Doctor can interpret it without a display(on most occasions).

[@dakotahrickard]

You know how it always makes a sound? I know that's scanning magic, but I imagine there're audio cues in there too. There are modernday equivalents, including some scanning apps I use time to time as a blind person.

[@silversonic1]

@@dakotahrickard In reality, the Doctor has a psychic link to the screwdriver in much the same way they do with the TARDIS, but now they can actually make a display using the screwdriver for reasons. But you'll often see the Doctor looking at the screwdriver after scanning as if there's a display to be read. Plus, even though they say it has settings, they also said it's point and think.

[@darrennew8211]

This reminds me that I had a model-airplane-kit-style tricorder and phaser I glued together back in the day. Good times. Did I miss the part where the tricorder explodes?

[@twocvbloke]

On my previous smartphones (Galaxy S3 and S5, yeah old hat now I know), I had anapp called AndroSense, and I was stunned (without the use of a phaser) to see how many actual sensors there were in those phones, to the point I was wondering why the heck weren't there tricorder-esque apps that made use of them, and then along comes ST Picard and they went and used Galaxy folds as Tricorders!! Presumably the sensors on board were not actually used though, sadly... :P

[@brodriguez11000]

Still are on the higher-end phones.

[@survivalizer]

The best places to find "hints" are the star trek magazine that have the briefings.

[@RobertMcMurrer]

How did you know that my Spock figure talked to me in a dream?

[@susansokoloski2233]

You forgot the Vulcan tricorder used in Enterprise.

[@SciHeartJourney]

In TOS episode City on the Edge of Forever, Spock had to use "little more than bear claws and stone tools" to fix his tricorder; vacuum tube technology.🤣

[@CyclopsWasRight616]

if you're wondering, I bought that "soon to be released" handbook on January 26th, according to my Amazon history.

[@dogenjinn4806]

I read something back in the early 90s that said Rodenberry left provisions in his papers that anyone who actually created something that appeared in Star Trek - such as a tricorder - that worked as it was supposed to in real life, they would be allowed to use the name. Has anyone else read or heard this?

[@axelhopfinger533]

Only thing i know is, that Tricorders to me all had a far too small screens to display any meaningful information in a practical fashion. If anything, a practical Tricoder would at least need a screen and form factor the size of a small tablet. Like the TOS ones were. Also they're quasi-Mcguffins, because they always can do whatever they need to in any situation.

[@gbkworf]

great stuff

[@seanmorgan2356]

I had the TNG tricorder toy when I was a kid.

[@UtopiaUpsilon]

You missed the TR-107 ‘mark 1’ which was a first attempt at a real Tricorder by a now defunct company called Vital Technologies Corporation.

[@FragEightyfive]

1:32 "a mere $275 a piece..." That was also nearly 60 years ago. With inflation that would be in upwards of 10x that, or $2600 in 2024 dollars. If it was a very low production prop, that seems fair. I would need a week to design a prototype, a week to design, then recoup those costs by making a few more.