Hard on the heels of my column about ray guns…

…comes this story, headlined “Star Trek-like ‘Tricorder’ becomes science fact”:

A press release at Purdue University has unveiled the startling news that a portable sensing system to analyze chemical components is now a reality.

About the size of a large car battery, the unit is, at less than 20 pounds, much smaller than the refrigerator sized, 300 pound units used in labs today, and comes with enough battery power to be used in the field.

Purdue’s researchers say that, far from being science fiction, the system could have ‘down-to-earth’ applications, such as such as testing foods for dangerous bacterial contaminants including salmonella, which Purdue says was recently found in a popular brand of peanut butter.

OK, 20 pounds is hardly Star Trek tricorder sized, but give it time–they expect it to get smaller.

Permanent link to this article: https://edwardwillett.com/2007/02/hard-on-the-heels-of-my-column-about-ray-guns/

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