Lab Quality Spectroscope Analyzes Food Portion and Nutrition in Micro Wearable Technologies
Traditionally, breaking down food into its various components was accomplished with highly technical laboratory equipment. Consumers gained this information from package labels or data bases of standard kinds of food.
Now MealCheck is bringing lab quality analytics to wearable devices.
Miniaturized spectroscopy technology fits on small smart watches and other devices. This camera can identify various food groups— complex carbohydrates, fats, proteins— on your plate.
The technology incorporates:
• Portable device housing
• Micro-controller or processor
• Memory within the device
• Display and user input ability
• Camera
• Near infrared spectroscopy sensor
• Communication modules
MealCheck’s novel technology uses miniature stereo cameras to quickly and accurately assess the nutrition in a plate of food. The camera offers a standard picture to assess the size and type of food. A near-infrared spectroscope also sends food data to a processor that checks against a large database and then communicates the nutritional data.
Lettuce, corn and tomato salad (left) as seen by the infrared spectrometer
MealCheck can:
Calculate the volume of a serving
Identify the type of foods on the plate
Adjust for the effects of lighting and shadows on the food for accurate readings
Include different preparation methods in an algorithm to produce accurate data
Calculate the caloric content of a serving
Produce a read-out on protein, fat, carbs and other dietary information
The process used to determine the food nutritional values
MealCheck makes personalized meal nutrition easy, fast, and accurate. The simplified process makes it much more likely for diabetics, weight watchers, and others concerned with nutrition and calories to enjoy healthy eating.