It seems like a trend these days to slap the word “smart” on devices, pair them up with a companion application and offer them up for purchase. If you look at activity trackers and fitness monitors in particular, they require users to manually punch in whatever food and drink they consume throughout the day. Its a time consuming process. What if there was a device that could figure out on its own what you were drinking? Introducing Vessyl, a “smart” cup that’s designed by Fuseproject, Yves Behar’s design firm.
Vessyl is being developed by a San Francisco based company called Mark One. They’ve been working on it with Fuseproject for the past seven years. It has a proprietary sensor inside that can measure, interpret and record what the user is drinking merely seconds after the cup is filled.
Crafted out of polymer, Vessyl’s co-creator Justin Lee tells Re/code that it “examines things at a molecular level.” So the cup is able to find out exactly what the user is drinking, how much calories, protein, sugar, fat content and more is present in that particular drink.
The companion app on iOS and Android will immediately display if Coke or Pepsi has been poured into the cup. This is just an example of just how deeply Vessyl can recognize drinks that seemingly look the same. The cup itself has a small LED display which will tell users what they’re consuming. It even includes a hydration measurement system developed by Vessyl’s creators that appears as a single line on the cup’s display. When the line gets low its time for the user to drink up.
Now you might think that Mark One would be seeking funds through a crowdfunding campaign. Its not. Instead it has started taking pre-orders today, those interested can order one for $99. Mark One expects to ship it in early 2015 with the full retail price of $199.
Now there are certain caveats. The price is a big one, you can get smartphones for that kind of money. Plus users need to charge the cup at least once a week and since there’s a sophisticated sensor inside, it can’t be put inside a dishwasher.
Filed in ..