A former NASA astronaut known for his on-the-fly innovations aims to help a research hospital create diagnostic tools akin to the medical tricorder made famous on "Star Trek."
The medical tricorder is a fictional device that can scan a person to diagnose diseases and injuries. It has long fascinated Scott Parazynski, who last flew space shuttle Discovery in 2007 to the International Space Station and used in-house materials to fix a tear in the station's solar array.
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, he said he's most interested helping create the next generation of minimally invasive surgery and diagnostic tools. Inspiration, he noted, comes partially from Star Trek tech.
"As a physician growing up and watching Star Trek, we all wanted a medical tricorder," he told the paper. "So one of the things I'd love to do is think big and push the envelope on what is possible."
Click to expand...