When Dr. Sonny Kohli was volunteering in Haiti in 2010 he found himself in a hospital that lacked basic diagnostic equipment.

As he worked to fix a broken EKG unit with duct tape and wires, he asked a simple question: Why don’t I have a smartphone-connected EKG?

Tricorders, used in the Star Trek universe, refer to the device’s three primary functions: sensing, computing and recording. To get one with light and sound effects, (but without anything in the way of a useful function), one only needs to order online.

However, real life is now catching up to the future as depicted in the 1960s. Dr. Kohli is turning science fiction into reality as the chief medical officer of Cloud DX Inc., a Kitchener, Ontario-based startup with the world’s first working tricorder-like health device.

With such promising technology, it’s no surprise Cloud DX has been chosen as one of 17 Canadian companies taking part in the C100’s upcoming 48hrs in the Valley program.

Congratulations to the next 48Hrs in the Valley Cohort!! https://t.co/nndPb4yfBC See you in June! #C10048Hrs pic.twitter.com/6Hhkt6zRII

— C100 (@theC100) May 9, 2016

So what’s being said in social media about Cloud DX?

Terms like “Star Trek” and “tricorder” appear thanks to this article by Communitech, which was shared by an influential account, Invest Ontario.  

Saving lives, Star Trek style: @CloudDx wearable closes in on Tricorder X-Prize https://t.co/AYGQEU96B7 via @fillfrok

— Communitech (@Communitech) May 7, 2016

The terms “Qualcomm” and “Xprize” appear in the discussion because the device, called Vitaliti, is one of seven finalists in Qualcomm’s $10 million Tricorder Xprize.

One of many Xprize competitions, the tricorder prize challenges entrepreneurs to create a portable, wireless device that can diagnose 13 conditions and real-time monitor 5 health vital signs without intervention from a doctor.

Watch Dr. Kohli talk about the competition and why devices like Vitaliti are so important:

Team Cloud DX – Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE https://t.co/CYjqHP9YpS via @YouTube

— Science Avalon NL (@AvalonScience) February 20, 2016