What if you could scan an apple in the grocery store and immediately see what it's made of, how many calories are in it and how sweet it is? One group of scientists is making it possible.
SCiO is a pocket-sized molecular sensor patented by Consumer Physics Inc., a startup based out of Tel Aviv, Israel. By placing the sensor near an object and pressing the button for two seconds, SCiO can immediately analyze the object's chemical makeup and send the information via cloud to the user's smartphone, which then shows the desired information on the screen.
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While the company has a working prototype of SCiO, the finished product has yet to be created. The device's developers began a Kickstarter campaign to raise $200,000 toward the project. More than 11,000 people have pledged their support, skyrocketing SCiO's financial backing to almost $2.5 million.
Backers will receive the SCiO when it ships in December 2014.
Check out the video of how the product works, below: