Las Vegas: Add-ons that turn smartphones into Star Trek-like tricorder medical diagnostic kits, Predator-style thermal vision cameras and even electric “stun guns” are being promoted at the Consumer Electronics Show.
The inventions join a growing list of hardware that adds abilities to existing handsets.
Most will go on sale this year.
But one expert said the ambition of many was to see themselves taken over by one of the big manufacturers.
That is what happened to Authentec, which attended CES for several years before its fingerprint tech was acquired for use in Apple’s iPhone 5S.
“If you come up with a good idea the reality is that you’re going to get sold for a high price,” explained Ben Wood from the tech consultancy CCS Insight.
“It’s palpable here – you can feel there are people scouting the show floor desperately looking for that next big thing.”
California-based Scanadu is already attracting attention before its first product’s release.
The start-up is developing a health-checking scanner packed with sensors called Scout, which the user holds up to their head to let it check their vital signs.
It promises to be able to measure heart rate, skin and core body temperatures, respiratory rate and blood oxygen levels among other readings.
It has no screen of its own, but relies on a smartphone app to interpret the data in order to warn of potential problems or help its owner manage a chronic condition.
At least that’s the theory.
Although a prototype has been developed it’s not fully functional yet. If and when the tech is shop-ready it will still need health regulators’ approval to go on sale.
Even so, the firm’s founder is already planning follow-ups. – BBC
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Phones morph into ‘stun guns’ and ‘tricorders’
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