There's a brand new product announced today that will measure all of this. The newest entry into the Internet of Things is a multi-touch interactive cup called Vessyl.
Vessyl co-founder and CEO Justin Lee, and co-founder Yves Behar, have crafted a sleek faceted cup that automatically knows what's inside and tracks your drinking in real time. It's almost something you have to see to believe, so Lee demonstrated during a Skype interview that any liquid can be poured into the Vessyl and, within seconds, the advanced sensing technology will recognize key pieces of information including beverage type, calories, amount consumed and how much this beverage will fill of an individual's daily hydration needs. The Vessyl is the first product developed by Mark One, a San Francisco startup where Lee is also CEO. Both companies are officially launching today.
"We have created a sensor, a proprietary sensor within the company, and it analyzes what's inside at a molecular level," Lee explained as he poured in a Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso with cream. The Vessyl instantly displayed a calorie count of 140. And it works for any non-branded items, too, such as homemade cocktails and smoothies.
Vessyl has a pre-sale campaign that starts today to raise $50,000 to determine consumer demand and allow production to begin. The device will available for $99 for those who participate in the two-month campaign. It will retail for $199 once the campaign ends. The cup comes with a charging coaster that powers the cup for a week on an hour-long charge. Vessyl is expected to start shipping to consumers in early 2015, Lee said.
The Vessyl can assess the minutia of a beverage. It can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi, how many calories are in a mixed drink, and the nutritional content of a homemade smoothie. It can even tell the difference between Tropicana orange juice with pulp and Tropicana orange juice without pulp, all in less than a second.
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