Wondering how nutritious that food is, if that plant needs water, or just what that misplaced pill is? Well, the makers of SCiO claim that their device is able to tell you all of those things, plus a lot more. To use it, you just scan the item in question for one or two seconds, then check the readout on a Bluetooth 4.0-linked smartphone.
SCiO is actually a miniature spectroscope. Like the bigger, more expensive laboratory-grade models it's based on, it works by shining near-infrared light on materials, exciting their molecules in the process. By analyzing the light that's reflected off those vibrating molecules, it's reportedly possible to identify them by their unique optical signature, and thus determine the chemical composition of the material.
In the case of SCiO, an accompanying iOS or Android app sends its readings to the cloud, where algorithms process the data in real time. The results should appear on the phone's screen within a matter of seconds.
According to Consumer Physics, the Tel Aviv-based company that's developing the device, it will initially come with apps that allow it to analyze food, plants and medication. As described in a press release:
"The food app delivers macro nutrient values (calories, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins), produce quality, ripeness, and spoilage analysis for various foods, including cheeses, fruits, vegetables, sauces, salad dressings, cooking oils, and more. SCiO can also identify and authenticate medication in real-time by cross-checking a pill's molecular makeup with a database of medications. Finally, SCiO can analyze moisture levels in plants and tell users when to water them."
The company also plans on providing an Application Development Kit, so that third parties can create their own apps for use with SCiO. These apps could greatly expand the variety of materials that can be analyzed, as the designers claim that it should work on just about any material, "including cosmetics, clothes, flora, soil, jewels and precious stones, leather, rubber, oils, plastics, and even human tissue or bodily fluids."
SCiO is powered by an integrated battery, that should provide approximately one week of use per charge. It's compatible with iPhone 4S and up, iPad 3rd generation and later, and with devices using Android 4.3 and later. Consumer Physics is currently raising funds for its commercial production, through Kickstarter. A pledge of US$179 will get you one when and if they're ready to ship, this December.
The very similar TellSpec is also presently in development, although it's being marketed more as a food-specific device.
More information on SCiO is available in the pitch video below.
Sources: Consumer Physics, Kickstarter
When I look at vitamins and such online I always wonder if that is what I'm getting. Especially for stuff like racetams as every place that sells them looks fake to me but I'm paranoid too.
Does that tea have pesticides on it? Does that plastic have BPA in it? Does that water have fluoride in it?
Human health metrics? What can we tell by scanning our hair, skin, blood, spit, tears, ect?
Re:Graeme Harrison
I would be happy if dealers provided the civic duty of scanning product quality prior to distribution. A lot of ODs and permanent damage people receive from drugs stems from the impurities that are there mainly as filler.
They didn't state how far it penetrates, but they did state it uses near infrared, which is a known quantity. The penetration depth depends upon the material.
What I wonder about is that as described, the spectroscope emits near IR and then scans the result. Well, how wide a spectrum is included in near IR? Whatever is scanned would be limited to this spectrum plus whatever fluoresces from near IR. I think better results would likely be possible if the radiation included a wider spectrum. Why not visible and UV, for example?
Victor