Technology that claims to transform any smartphone into a Star Trek-style tricorder is set to be unveiled in Israel . The company behind the device says it has the potential to break down the chemical components of almost any object from a distance . The technology could help a range of industries such as food and drink , healthcare and the defence sector , the researchers claim . Scroll down for video . Technology that claims to transform any smartphone into a Star Trek-style tricorder is set to be unveiled in Israel . The company behind the device says it has the potential to break down the chemical components of almost any object from a distance . The image shows how the picture might be used . Unispectral Technologies and Tel Aviv University , who are behind the system , say it works by analysing a materials 'hyperspectral signature ' , which is its unique chemical fingerprint . The team have already patented the optical part of the system , which is based on existing microelectromechanical or 'MEMS ' technology . 'The optical element acts as a tunable filter and the software - an image fusion library - would support this new component and extract all the relevant information from the image , ' said Professor David Mendlovic at Tel Aviv University . Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum . A Tricorder is a scanning device used by Starfleet personnel in the Star Trek universe . It was used largely by Mr Spock , the alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise . Once the camera take an image , the data would be further analysed by a third-party to extract the hyperspectral signature at any location in the image . Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum . For each pixel in an image , a hyperspectral camera acquires the light intensity for a large number of different spectral bands . This allows it to provide more detailed information about the scene than a normal color camera , which only acquires three different spectral bands . The imaging works in both video and still photography , he says . 'We are close to producing a prototype , which is scheduled for release in June , ' said Professor Mendlovic . ' A long list of fields stand to gain from this new technology . 'We predict hyperspectral imaging will play a major role in consumer electronics , the automotive industry , biotechnology , and homeland security . ' This back-end analyser would need a large database of hyperspectral signatures at its disposal . Applications of the sensor include remote health monitoring and industrial quality control . 'Agricultural applications may also benefit because hyperspectral imaging could be used to identify properties of crops , vegetables , and other types of foods , ' Mr Raz says . 'Its hyperspectral platform is also suitable for wearable devices . ' A first-generation demonstration system of the camera . Once the camera take an image , the data would be further analysed by a third-party to extract the hyperspectral signature at any location in the image . According to Professor Mendlovic , Unispectral is currently in discussions with major smartphone makers , car companies , and wearable device makers to move the technology forward . A Tricorder is a scanning device used by Starfleet personnel in the Star Trek universe . There are two variations ; a regular ( engineering ) Tricorder and a medical Tricorder . Medical Tricorders are used to wirelessly scan a patient , either in a ‘ sick bay ’ on a star ship or during an away mission . The scanning tool can determine a patient ’ s medical status , and allows doctors to quickly and easily diagnose their condition without an intensive or invasion examination . And the company is n't the only one hoping to recreate Spock 's Tricorder . Earlier this year , researchers revealed a gadget that can be used to diagnose an illness simply by holding it to the forehead . Named Scanadu Scout , the small round device is able to read a number of vital signs , including heart rate and temperature . It contains a variety of different sensors alongside a microphone on the top of the gadget that together , can read vital signs , including body temperature , heart rate , blood oxygen level , heart rate variability and pulse wave transit time ( PWTT ) . PWTT is the time it takes for a heartbeat to reach somewhere else in a person 's body and is related to blood pressure . Its makers claim the device is 99 per cent accurate in less than 10 seconds . Scanadu was finalist in the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize , which was launched in 2013 to inspire a wireless device capable of detecting a range of diseases , including anaemia , tuberculosis and diabetes . Another device by London-based , ScanNurse , uses computer-vision techniques to analyse images taken with a camera . The scientists hope their system will make observations of the inside of the ears or throat , in the same way a doctor would , and then feed it into a computer for analysis . Other teams are using blood and urine samples to test for key markers . The tiny microfluidic devices will , they claim , work in a similar way to hospital-lab tests .
System a combination of powerful software and ' MEMS ' technology . This allows the camera to pick up the hyperspectral image of an object . Hyperspectral imaging measures chemical composition from a distance . images will be analysed elsewhere and the images sent to a computer .