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Researchers from Stanford are working on a "tricorder" device that can identify cancerous tumors a foot away from a patient, according to Engadget.

This new technique is based on research initiated by DARPA  targeting ways to find bombs buried in soil. This is now being worked on to amend the tricorder system in order to locate cancerous growths, explains the study in the paper.

The technology that underlies this system is the radio frequency (RF)/ultrasound hybrid imaging system, which is innovated to detect objects embedded in different types of matter such as water, soil and, in this case, human tissue, according to RT.

"We think we could develop instrumentation sufficiently sensitive to disclose the presence of tumors, and perhaps other health anomalies, much earlier than current detection systems, non-intrusively and with a handheld portable device," said Amin Arbabian, a creator of this device.

As the device will be able to find out about tumours from external locations of the body, it will help to save hospitals time and effort required for invasive procedures, according to Med Device Online.

Pierre Khuri-Yakub, a leader of the project said that the technology will not be ready for use for a while.

"We've been working on this for a little over two years," he said. "We're still at an early stage but we're confident that in five to ten to fifteen years, this will become practical and widely available."

YouTube/Stanfordeng