The ‘Star Trek’ Medical Scanner

This article was originally published at MTSI. To read more of our case studies visit our website for Micro Technology Services, Inc.

It’s relatively easy for Dr. McCoy in Star Trek to figure out what is bothering a patient. He pulls out his trusty, sci-fi medical scanner which chirps back and tells him whether the patient has a concussion, a broken bone, or infection by an alien parasite.

We’re still far away from that technology, but this magnetic two-way medical scanner controls an embedded implant in healing bones. The device works by controlling a magnetic field that sends and receives control signals to a device inside a person which injects a current into the bone. This makes the bone heal quicker.

One interesting feature is the client wanted the device to sound like a Star Trek scanner. MTSI is thrilled to work on such projects. We used an MC68HC11’s Pulse Width Controller to make the sounds.

This product generated sales of $800 million a year.

This article was originally published at MTSI. To read more of our case studies visit our website for Micro Technology Services, Inc.