Mini-scanner can tell what’s in your food, counts calories

Portia Arthur

September 15, 2015 1:35 PM

Apart from food, Scio can tell if your jacket is real leather, if you’re plant’s still okay, and everything else that’s in its database.

Mini-scanner can tell what’s in your food

Consumer Physics launched handheld device called Scio, a small scanner that can analyze the contents of your food, drink, pills, and more.

It is “the first molecular sensor that fits in the palm of your hand,” says Dror Sharon, co-founder of the firm based in Hod Hasharon, near Tel Aviv.

The Israeli startup says its SCiO tool sends data on the chemical makeup of a substance to the user’s smartphone, where a variety of applications will present the results.

The scanner can get nutritional facts about different kinds of food: Dairy products, Fruits and vegetables. The scanner can also tell when a fruit will ripen, among other food applications.

SCiO is a learning device with new applications will be developed and released regularly. The startup says that “every time you use SCiO you are helping to build a database of knowledge. So when you use SCiO, you are making everyone smarter. The bigger our community gets, the more data SCiO will have about different materials and this goes right back to our community of users!”

The product was launched through Kickstarter, with 13,000 customers so far placing orders for the gadget at USD250 dollars each, for delivery from December 2015.

“There is interest from small developers that want to develop something cool for themselves or for their kids, or even teenagers that want to develop this, up to multinationals and large companies,” Sharon says to AFP, adding that he is eyeing the industrial sector for the next phase.

Source: healthcareasia.org

Portia Arthur