Anyone who has been deceived by a punchbowl at a party, or a diet-busting cake, will recognize the value of knowing exactly what you are eating. A new pocket scanner promises to deliver that power by giving the user an instant breakdown of alcohol, sugar, or calorie content before they consume.
The USB-shaped 'SCiO' device was launched through a Kickstarter campaign earlier in the week and reached its target within 24 hours, with devices available for as little as $149.
The product of Israeli start-up Consumer Physics, it uses spectrometry to read the "molecular fingerprint" of an object, shining near Infra-Red light on it which stimulates the molecules and then records their reactions.
An accompanying app then displays the nutrient values on a smart phone, measuring fat, protein and carbohydrate levels to the milligram, as well as overall quality.
http://www.consumerphysics.com/myscio/#press-marker
https://www.facebook.com/pages/mySCiO/837006732994076
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/903107259/scio-your-sixth-sense-a-pocket-molecular-sensor-fo
Cool little gadget. I wonder if they can use it to scan crop leaves to measure the nutrients or lack of nutrients in a plant such as corn?
It could also possibly be used to scan your skin for bacteria that you could then use disinfectant on to keep from catching a cold.