Tricorder: Healthcare in the Palm of Your Hands

With a simple wave of the device, featured in Popular Science Magazine, it can instantly scan your vital signs and diagnose your health problems. Believe it or not, this science fiction fantasy will soon become a reality… and Pivot is a part of it!

Star Trek, Tricorder and related marks and logos are trademarks CBS Studios Inc. and are used by Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize under licence.[/caption]

We’re psyched to be part of the CloudDX team participating in the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize — an international competition looking to turn science fiction into reality. By pushing competitors to turn the “art” of medicine into a science, the XPrize competition is bringing designers and physicians together to make health a more accessible part of people’s everyday lives.

A Real World Application

CloudDX’s participation in the international Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize competition traces its roots to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. At the time, physician and CloudDX Medical Director, Sonny Kohli, travelled to Haiti to provide medical assistance.

He quickly found that some of the hospitals in the country lacked basic diagnostic equipment, forcing him and other medical workers to build their own makeshift alternatives. MacGyverism at its best!

“If you can build something portable, something inexpensive, something mobile… that would instantly empower a physician and help them manage a condition.”

– Dr. Sonny Kohli, Co-founder & Medical Director at CloudDX

About the Competition

The competition challenges competitors to design, develop and create something that has never been done before — a portable and affordable device capable of continuously measuring five key vital signs with the accuracy of medical-standard instruments; and successfully diagnosing up to 16 different health conditions ranging from an ear infection to tuberculosis. It’s a tall order, but out of dozens of applicants our team is one of the top 10 finalists in the competition and we’re the only Canadian finalist!

The dire need for improvements in health and healthcare in the U.S. has captured the attention of government, industry, and private citizens for years. But a viable solution has yet evaded one of the most technologically advanced, educated and prosperous nations on the globe. Integrated diagnostic technology, once available on a consumer mobile device that is easy to use, will allow individuals to incorporate health knowledge and decision-making into their daily lives.

What We’re Working On

As the user experience experts on the team, we’re responsible for the design of the app’s information architecture, diagnostic decision algorithms and user interface design. Basically, we work one-on-one with the team’s MD to create the inner logic that determines not only how the user interacts with the device, but also how the device “thinks”.

Working closely with our product design team at Cortex Design Inc., our goal is to create the best vitals monitoring and diagnostic experience independent of a healthcare professional or facility.

“It’s a win-win no matter which team prevails. These mobile devices will be invaluable in remote areas or disaster struck zones of the world to increase access to healthcare.”

– Dr. Sonny Kohli, Co-founder & Medical Director at CloudDX

CloudDX is a licensed medical technology device manufacturer best know for their portable blood pressure cuff, Pulsewave^®. Their contribution to the competition is Vitaliti — a sleek, lightweight wearable designed to diagnose medical conditions and measure five key vitals: heart rate/variability, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiration rate and core body temperature. But above all, Vitaliti is designed to give individuals far greater choices in when, where and how they receive health care and to help people make their own reliable health diagnoses anywhere, anytime.

Stay up-to-date with our progress or pre-order your own Vitaliti device and be one of the first people to have healthcare in the palm of your hands.

Beam me up, Sonny!