Recreating a Star Trek TOS Sickbay Monitor

There are many things you can say about the original Star Trek, both good and bad, but it’s certainly one of the most, if not, the most iconic science fiction series of all time. One part that is especially fascinating about the show, and most any future-looking series, is the envisioned medical technology available — think the auto-doc in The Expanse, or Darth Vader’s suit: a full-body medical device.

To create a replica of the sickbay monitors in the original Star Trek, Xtronical turned to an Arduino Nano, along with an SPI ILI9341 TFT screen. The video below is only the “Bones” of the device, with full source code and instructions promised in upcoming clips. Sliders on display include temperature in °F and °C, as well as Lungs, Heart BPM, and Blood O2. A red spot also indicates pulse, with a corresponding heartbeat sound played on a speaker.

Most readings here are real, with a MAX30100 pulse/oximeter sensor used to take stats via the “patient’s” finger. Temperature is measured by a different sensor, with a second unit nearby to read environmental temps for a better accuracy. One exception to the sickbay’s realness is the blinking respiration dot, which is estimated, though the lung slider is calculated based on heart and oxygen readings. It looks like a fun breadboard-based build, and it’ll be interesting to see it explained further in upcoming videos!