Nearly every U.S. medical school gives new students a white coat and a stethoscope. The act is part of a long tradition. But it is more than just symbolic. Medical schools still teach stethoscope skills. Doctors must be able to use them well to get their licenses. But the stethoscope, 200 years after its invention, is facing an uncertain future. New devices can help doctors find problems in the heart, lungs and other areas. They use ultrasound technology, artificial intelligence and smartphone apps. Dr. Eric Topol is a world-renowned heart doctor. He considers the stethoscope obsolete in other words, old and out of date. It “was OK for 200 years,” Topol said. But “we need to go beyond that. We can do better.”