| Tricorder | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek franchise element | |
 Tricorder from the original series | |
| First appearance | Star Trek: The Original Series |
| Created by | Gene Roddenberry |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Sensor |
| Affiliation | Starfleet |
A tricorder is a fictional handheld sensor that exists in the Star Trek universe. The tricorder is a multifunctional hand-held device that can perform environmental scans, data recording, and data analysis; hence the word "tricorder" to refer to the three functions of sensing, recording, and computing. In Star Trek stories the devices are issued by the fictional Starfleet organization.
The original physical prop for the tricorder was designed by Wah Chang and appeared in "The Man Trap" in 1966, the first Star Trek episode to air.