If you are looking to measure your calories, Vessyl smart cup might be the cup for you. Built by Yves Béhar, the esteemed designer behind Jawbone and the OLPC based on the idea by Justin Lee, a biomedical computing student at Queen’s University seven years ago. Then, he know he wanted to build a device that’s based on the “internet of things”, but he didn’t want it to be a smart lamp, toaster or switch.Â
Justin Lee chose a cup, because he wanted to put a computer into one of the most ubiquitous objects in the history of the human race. Developed by U.S. based technology startup, Mark One, the Vessyl smart cup is impressive indeed. And it might be something that would revolutionise our lives.
So, what does the Vessyl smart cup do? Well for starters the product can accurately identify your drink, tell you how many calories you are consuming, let you know how hydrated you are, and alert you when it’s time to drink again.Â
Vessyl is equipped with sensors determining the molecular composition of the drink that pass this information onto user’s smartphone (iPhone apps only at this stage) through Bluetooth. The smart cup can even identify the name of the drink, whether it is Sprite or 7Up, Pepsi or Coke. However, the number of detectable drinks is limited. It might not detect local Malaysian favourite drinks, like the Milo, Teh Tarik and Kopi Peng.
Under the surface is the computing power that givers the device its ‘smart’ functionality – although how it works exactly is being kept a closely-guarded secret by makers Mark One.Â
The technology enables the cup to recognise what liquid is poured inside from a catalogue of thousands. It knows the content and make-up of the drink, and is therefore able to let you know exactly what you are putting into your body. The cup can then be asked to display a particular set of data to aid you achieve certain goals, such as losing weight or regulating caffeineÂ
Besides detecting the caloric content of the consumed beverages, Vessyl can also analyze a user’s personal hydration level, based on such factors as body weight and activity intensiveness.
“As you use the Vessyl, it’s going to learn more about you and your consumption habits and patterns, but the main goal is to actually help you make healthier and more informed decisions in real time,†says vice president of health Mark Berman in the video . “Little by little these decisions translate to big changes over time, so much so it can transform your life.â€
The Vessyl smart cup is already available for pre-order in the U.S. for $99 at www.myvessyl.com, with the final RRP of $199. Vessyl charges wirelessly on a supplied charger, getting a week of power from a 60-minute charge. The device also connects to an app on iOS and Android via Bluetooth, where you can get more detailed analysis of what you are drinking.Â
Vessyl’s greatest potential lies in its Pryme display. What person wouldn’t appreciate a simple indicator of how much water they should drink every day? You can indeed use Vessyl without the app after initial setup, which could truly separate Vessyl from most other fitness trackers and quantified-self gadgets on the market. Nike’s omnipresent NikeFuel points indicator is, arguably, one of the gadget’s most appealing aspects. But Vessyl’s strength is that unlike these other trackers, it combines effortless tracking with a behavior you’re already doing. There’s no metal wristband to strap on every morning, and no fob to clip to your pants pocket. If you leave Vessyl on its charging coaster while you sleep or are at your desk, you might forget that it’s a “smart cup” entirely. One 60-minute charge provides a week of power, Lee says. The big idea is to help you stay better hydrated on a daily basis, and while Vessyl won’t send you a push notification quite yet when you’re not drinking enough, they might not be far off.
Vessyl’s primary virtue is that it’s easy to understand. “Integrating breakthrough technology into everyday products is always a challenge, at the same time, this is exactly how design makes tech products easily adoptable in life,” says Béhar. If Vessyl can succeed in accurately measuring what you’re drinking day after day, as Lee says it will, it just might be the first quantified-self tracker I could recommend to anyone.
Watch the Youtube video below. The Gallery comes after
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu4ukHmXKFU”]
