Life signs detector

< Ancient technology

Life signs detector
Production information
Manufacturer	Asurans Lanteans
Designer	Lanteans
Technical specifications
Function	Scanner
Control system	Neural interface
Size	Handheld
Usage
Affiliation	Asurans Lanteans Tau'ri

Life signs detectors are small devices that the Lanteans developed in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Overview

File:Life signs detector.JPG

A life signs detector held in a hand.

Hand held devices, they can detect various life signs, but they are incapable of differentiating between species. They are also incapable of detecting the Wraith if they are hibernating. They require the ATA Gene to use, and have a range of one hundred meters. They have also been show to be able to detect energy signatures. (SGA: "Rising", "Home", "The Gift", "The Siege, Part 2", "Runner", "Vengeance")

There are also city-wide life signs detectors on City-ships, including Atlantis, that can also identify the type of life form (species.) (SGA: "The Siege, Part 2")

Behind the scenes

• In Rising, the life signs detectors were clearly able to differentiate between humans (blue) and Wraith (red). In later episodes, they did not have this ability. It may just be that the user can select certain signs on the screen and change their color to red for usability purposes or the ability may have been considered too powerful and a deus ex machina so was changed.
• It is also possible to upload maps to the detector, so walls etc were shown aditional to the life signs. This was once used to upload a Hive-Ships map, but to changes to the ships structure this was this was not useful. (SGA: "Infection") The device also appears to have a map of Atlantis in its memory. (SGA: "The Storm", "The Eye")
• The on-screen prop appears to be an HP IPAQ 5555 in a special acrylic case.

Gallery

The Ancient Life Signs Detector.