Know the Nutritional Value of Everything You Eat With This Scanner

A French startup called DietSensor has added one of the most magical gadgets to the food industry -a food scanner that will tell you the nutritional value of your meal. Time to finally come clean with them calories, folks. Launched at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year, this scanner is a pocket-sized, Bluetooth connected device named SCiO.

This little gadget uses the interaction of light with food molecules to determine its chemical content, and therefore, its nutritional value. While this device has already got fitness-freaks excited, it is mainly meant for people suffering from Diabetes or cardiovascular diseases which require a close check on diet on a regular basis.

Founders Remy and Astrid Bonnasse claim they came up with the idea when their 9-year old daughter was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes in 2014. This led to an app that closely tracks your carbohydrate intake, and therefore the insulin levels, along with a gadget to supplement it.

The gadget and the app operate on the principle of spectroscopy which analyses the relationship between food molecules and their interaction when in contact with light. Though this method is already in practice in laboratories, DietSensor has brought it to day to day life now.

For now, the sensor only scans homogeneous food items like cheese and bread, and cannot give you complex details like the contents of your pizza. But the app allows the user to enter more complex meals manually. Additionally, it works on homemade food as well. The scanner is priced at $249 (about Rs. 16,500) and can be ordered off the official website ; the app is free but requires a monthly $10 (about Rs. 700) fee.