GADGET FRIDAY: TellSpec is like having a Starfleet TriCorder!

TellSpec brings together laser spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and a unique mathematical algorithm in a revolutionary hand-held consumer device that can analyze the chemical composition of any food in less than 20 seconds.

The TellSpec handheld device beams a low-powered laser at the food you wish to analyze, measures the reflected light with a spectrometer, and sends the data via your smart phone, computer, or tablet to TellSpec’s servers in the cloud. Those servers use this data to deduce information about your food that is of interest to you. This information is then displayed on your computer, tablet or smart phone so you can intelligently decide if you want to buy or eat the food.

SPECTROMETER: The handheld scanner is a Raman spectrometer. The low-powered laser inside the scanner emits a beam through the front window. Light emitted from the sample is then collected through a filter in the same window. This light then passes through a diffraction grating that disperses the light onto an image sensor, which converts it into an electrical signal that is then digitized.

MINIATURIZATION: Until recently, a large and expensive industrial spectrometer was needed to gather spectra of adequate resolution and signal strength, but miniaturization of optical devices, and a new and powerful method of analyzing weaker signals of lower resolution, have enabled the manufacture of suitable tiny inexpensive spectrometers.

ANALYSIS ENGINE: The digital spectrum of the food from the scanner is transmitted to the TellSpec analysis engine which processes it, compares it to reference spectra, and runs a learning algorithm on it. The output is interpreted through a large database, and information about the food is selected and customized for the user, downloaded, and displayed to the user.