Star Trek Communicators - in real life!

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-04-17 04:52pm

I just had to bring this up...

BBC News wrote:Trekkie communicator ready to go

If you have ever wanted to emulate Star Trek and talk to colleagues via a lapel communicator, then now is your chance.

US firm Vocera has created a wireless voice communicator just like they use in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Similar to the TV series, all you do to contact someone is press the talk button on the lapel badge, say their name, and you will be put through.

The gadget is proving popular in hospitals to make it easier for nurses to find and get advice from doctors.

Talk time

The Vocera communications system channels voice calls via a wi-fi network to recognise who someone is trying to reach and then to connect them.

Servers do the job of decoding speech to recognise names, find out if the person is available and then a portion of the wireless network is reserved so the people can speak to each other.

"It's pretty futuristic," said Keerti Melkote, co-founder of Aruba Networks that is a partner of Vocera.

"It's very neat, smaller than a cell phone and very lightweight," he told BBC News Online.

Although the voice recognition system needs a bit of training to match names with the way people pronounce them, the system can be working well within a few days, said Mr Melkote.

Early customers for the Vocera communicator were hospitals who like the fact that it lets nurses talk directly to doctors.

"We're focussing on healthcare to help provide bedside patient care and replace pager type calls," he said.

He said pagers can just lead to people leaving endless numbers of messages for each other but never actually speaking.

Mr Melkote said the communicator was ideal for workplaces where staff move around a lot, are spread around large campuses or across several buildings.

The battery-powered gadget can either be clipped to a lapel or worn on a lanyard around the neck.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3628517.stm

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-04-17 05:05pm

I wonder when the first "Doctor Crusher, please report to the waiting room..." will be uttered into one of the devices.

And yeah, the technology sound interesting. Good old Trek, I'm dying to get my hands on the upcoming hand phaser device.

Daltonator · Post by **Daltonator** » 2004-04-17 06:14pm

MARK II HAND PHASER website wrote:Prior to usage of your new MARK II HAND PHASER you must license it with the proper authorities. Once licensed, you will recieve a security card. Insert this card into the base of your unit. It will then automatically power up. If you do not live in a place where security cards are used just press the security system override button beside the card slot.

ROTFLMAO!!!

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-04-18 01:46am

I want one, damnit.

Of course, other people I know need to want them too, for it to be useful.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2004-04-18 01:19pm

I always thought it would make more sense to have the communicator attached to the forearm. Oh well.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-04-18 01:21pm

So. Cool.

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-04-18 01:42pm

BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:I always thought it would make more sense to have the communicator attached to the forearm. Oh well.

Actually, having the communicator attached to your forearm by definition is going to require the use of both arms in order to use it. Attached to your chest, you only need one arm and can use either.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2004-04-18 02:24pm

This has been out for a while. It's really just a wifi application of voice-dial technology in various cell phones. nothing special. If you want one of these, go by a Motorola cell phone. Then you can have the genuine flip-top feel too. And it can clip to your lapel!

Shame neither of these, the phone or the Vocera, is particularly attractive.