New SCiO sensor app lets anyone explore their world on a molecular level. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2016, from http://inhabitat.com/new-scio-sensor-app-lets-anyone-explore-their-world-on-a-molecular-level/
The SCiO is a new device that basically helps a person scan the spectrum of any food they desire. This tiny device is the first ever tiny spectrometer. The spectrometer is able to scan the spectrum of any food and will have the information sent to a cloud. The spectrum is then decoded by special algorithms that is able to appear on a smartphone. If the device is used a lot then the data will improve and become more complex for people to search up about their food.
Today in the modern world, “consumer physics” is greatly improving what people know and understand about the environment. This is what the SCiO is solely based on. SCiO will help improve the way people view the environment. It will give people a better understanding on what types of foods they should be eating and which are better for the environment. For example they would be able to see that almonds can take up to much water to grow.
I think it’s cool that sophisticated instruments like these are becoming readily available for consumers, but what is the purpose of scanning one’s food with a spectrometer? What important data does the SCiO provide?
This could really change the choices of consumers; now people can consider the content of what they’re buying. For instance, maybe someone is deciding between two different brands of strawberries. Scanning the strawberries could determine the pesticide content, which could lead to a consumer deciding to buy one brand over the other. I suppose the idea is to get people thinking more about what goes into the things around them.
I usually wouldn’t think to consider “consumer physics” so that will be something to keep in mind when choosing which foods to buy.