The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 3 (June 2014) | Page 16

Industry News

$150 Smartphone Spectrometer
Can Determine the Number of
Calories in Your Food
The ability to determine the molecular
composition of materials has been available to scientists for many years using
expensive lab-based spectrometers, but
now a new device offers consumers the
same possibilities, at a fraction of the
cost.
Launched via a Kickstarter campaign, the
SciO from Consumer Physics is a $150
handheld device that can determine the
molecular fingerprints of a wide range
of materials. When the device ships to
crowd-funding backers at the end of this
year or early 2015, it will come with apps
that can report the physical composition
of food and pharmaceuticals, says Dror
Sharon, Consumer Physics CEO.
Sharon says Consumer Physics’ spectroscopic sensor has the potential to divine
the chemical composition of a wide
range of materials, from gasoline and
rubber to cosmetics and gemstones. And
once you can determine what something
is—on a precise molecular level—you
can also extrapolate what it isn’t, inviting
new possibilities for product authentication, consumer safety and other applications.

this interaction between the illuminated
light and the molecules in the sample.

SCiO is based on the proven near-IR
spectroscopy method. The physical basis
for this material analysis method is that
each type of molecule vibrates in its own
unique way, and these vibrations interact
with light to create