'Tricorder' Closer to Reality: Portable X-Ray Source Could Put Medical Diagnosis and Terrorism Prevention in the Palm of the Hand

The hand-held scanners, or tricorders, of the Star Trek movies and television series are one step closer to reality now that a University of Missouri engineering team has invented a compact source of X-rays and other forms of radiation. The radiation source, which is the size of a stick of gum, could be used to create inexpensive and portable X-ray scanners for use by doctors, as well as to fight terrorism and aid exploration on this planet and others.