Have you ever seen Star Trek? The doctor on board has a cure for just about everything!

One of the key pieces of tech that the ships doctor needs is the medical tricorder, a handheld device that scans the patient to find out what was wrong with them. Ever since these nifty little devices have been on our screens, people have been trying make ones of their own.

With the creation of smartphones and apps, the idea of a medical tricorder is becoming something of a reality.

One particular app that is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod users is VitaDock, an app that allows you to keep track of your blood sugar levels, body temperature, blood pressure and body weight. The company behind the app is MEDISANA, a German company that specialises in home healthcare technology, selling a variety of products ranging from blood glucose monitors and wrist heart monitors (for keen runners) to cellulite massagers.

The idea behind this bundle of technologies is that you can measure the statistics that you need and save the data on your app, creating a medical history for yourself and potentially setting goals for an improved health.

For the full package, you need to purchase the GlucoDock, ThermoDock, CardioDock and TargetScale equipment.

GlucoDock – if you have diabetes, or just want to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels, then GlucoDock is a way for you to keep track of your sugar. It works in a similar way to traditional blood sugar monitors, you prick your finger and let the test strip absorb the drop of blood, after a few seconds, you get a blood sugar reading. Et voila! Your data is now stored on the phone app, and you can see how your sugar levels change throughout the day.

ThermoDock – this add on will measure your body temperature simply by pointing it towards your forehead. Just like the GlucoDock add on, you plug the ThermoDock into your phone, and the infrared technology will take and record your temperature on the phone.

CardioDock – instead of inserting the add on and holding your phone to measure your stats, you plug your phone into the CardioDock, which is similar to an iPhone/iPod base station. Once the phone is plugged in, you place the cuff, which is similar to the ones used by doctors and nurses, around your arm before pressing start. The cuff will then inflate and take your blood pressure, before sending the data to your phone.

TargetScale – unlike the previous three add ons, the TargetScale works without being physically connected to the phone. Working via bluetooth, the scale is used in the traditional way, but instead of just taking body weight, it also measures body fat, body mass index (BMI), body composition and bone mass. Another feature is the balance test, to see if weight is evenly distributed on both legs. 

While this bundle of technologies isn’t exactly on the level of Star Trek, they’re certainly an impressive example of personal health technologies. The look that MEDISANA has designed for them fits seamlessly with Apple’s designs, making the new technologies blend seamlessly with the ones you already have.