Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tricorders

We have Beverly Crusher, or rather Gates McFadden, to thank in part for the gloriously detailed TNG-era tricorder technical information available to us. McFadden, a "stickler for getting medical procedure as accurate as possible," as they put it in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, requested a set of "consistent operating guidelines" that were then devised by designer Rick Sternbach.

From the manuals, we know that the TNG-era medical tricorder is basically a standard tricorder with a "specialised medical peripheral" on top. This attachment adds "86 electromagnetic devices" designed for medical use. The removable hand sensor has "fifteen high-resolution devices," capable of active and passive scans of the entire body, internal organs, infectious microorganisms, and more. The TR-590 Tricorder X, introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Voyager, had the detachable hand scanner in the back.

The Original Series medical tricorder was also a standard tricorder 'with benefits'. According to the Starfleet Medical Reference Manual, the medical tricorder was outwardly similar to other models but came equipped with 'diagnose,' 'analyse,' and 'record' modes, as well as the remote scanner. Larger than its 24th century counterparts, the TOS medical tricorder had the handy advantage of a lower compartment with emergency surgical kit.