At the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, triage technology comes with a Star Trek twist.

Even with today's fancy gizmos, figuring out who needs medical care at the scene of a disaster is still pretty old-fashioned. It's tiring, physical work: an emergency responder bent over a victim, checking body temperature, heart rate, and muscle movement. Up close and personal, the entire process can take 3-5 minutes per person.

Because time is the most precious resource in a crisis, every second shaved can be a life-saver. With this in mind, the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is trying to make a revolutionary leap forward in triage. Why not 30 seconds per person? And why not from far away?

"We thought, 'Boy, wouldn't it be nice if a responder, fully clothed in an emergency suit, could have a technology to take vital signs quickly from 5 to 40 feet away?'" said Greg Price, Director of S&T's Tech Solutions, whose office is managing the project.

In partnership with the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), Boeing and Washington University's School of Medicine, Tech Solutions is developing the Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT), a device that classic Star Trek fans will recognize for its resemblance to the medical diagnostic tool known as the tricorder.

Like the tricorder, SPTT takes key physiological readings necessary to any diagnosis --pulse, body temperature, respiration--from an injured person at a far distance. It's triage at twenty paces.

The magic behind SPTT is a technology known as Laser Doppler Vibrometry, which has been used in aircraft and automotive components, acoustic speakers, radar technology, and landmine detection. When connected to a camera, the vibrometer can measure the velocity and displacement of vibrating objects. An algorithm then converts those data points into measurements emergency medical responders can use in their rapid assessment of a patient's critical medical conditions.

The goal is to develop a handheld unit about the size of a legal notebook and as a thick as a ream of paper. Achieving this will require further testing of optical stabilization technology to make sure the unit can function despite a responder's arm and hand movements.

Besides providing accurate data, the SPTT can help overcome common human biases at an accident scene.