Purdue Unveils a Tricorder 177
aeoneal writes "According to Science Daily, mass spectrometry is no longer limited to what can be taken to the lab. Purdue researchers have created a device they liken to a tricorder, a handy 20-lb. device that combines mass spectrometry with DESI (desorption electrospray ionization), allowing chemical composition to be determined outside of a vacuum chamber. Purdue suggests this could be useful for everything from detecting explosive substances or cancer to predicting disease. Researcher R. Graham Cooks says, 'We like to compare it to the tricorder because it is truly a hand-held instrument that yields information about the precise chemical composition of samples in a matter of minutes without harming the samples.'"
IGEN Tricorder released in 2000 (Score:5, Informative)
and it detects
Re: The Island (Score:3, Informative)
Re:pussies (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Anyone know anything about these? (Score:4, Informative)
Wikipedia has a pretty good article and diagram.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_spectrometry [wikipedia.org]
Re:God damn, reminds me of my "portable" Kaypro (Score:3, Informative)
This is because mass spec instruments are large (fairly new benchtop ones aren't nearly 300 pounds like the article states, though- maybe 100 or so) and expensive (hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars) while UV spectrophotometers are comparatively small and cheap (tens of thousands of dollars, and about the size of a toaster oven). Mass spec is also rather complex in its benchtop form- the instrument I work with also requires a gas cylinder and a vacuum pump for operation- and it requires very frequent maintenance to keep working right, particularly maintenance of the electrospray ionization source.
However, the sensitivity of a mass spec instrument is unparalleled (down to femtograms and attograms of material) and by providing molecular weights and fragment ions, is a huge aid to characterizing unknowns. As an example from personal experience, I've worked with three different methods for the detection of one particular molecule: liquid-chromatography with UV detection, LC with fluorescent detection, and LC-MS. The LC-MS method is at least 100 times more sensitive than the other two. While an instrument like this probably cannot do all the things a high-end instrument can do, it does seem like it could be an attractive option. I can definitely see more and more labs going to mass spec as it becomes smaller, more affordable, and easier to use.
Actually, this is not the first... (Score:3, Informative)
While it is a new design, and has different features, this is in fact not the first tricorder that has been made.
http://www.stim.com/Stim-x/0996September/Sparky/tr icorder.html [stim.com] talks about the very first "tricorder," but it doesn't look like it was very successful. Maybe Purdue's device will stick around longer.
By the way, something that is very interesting to note is that Gene Roddenberry allows anyone who creates devices like the ones in Star Trek (and presumably its variations) can use the names used in the show. Get to work all you Trekkie engineers!
Re:I've been wondering... (Score:0, Informative)
Re:First use will be military, second law enforcem (Score:2, Informative)
Though this does bring up an inconsistency. As you pointed out, US law does allow for the use of dogs to detect drugs. Or does the officer have to get permission to use the dog? Not having smuggled drugs, this is an area I'm woefully ignorant in.
I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV.