General Electric is working on a microwave that can count calories in food

Scientists at General Electric are working on a microwave that can determine how many calories are in it by analyzing the heated food. A prototype of the calorie counting technology has already been developed; food has to go through the blender first.

General Electric’s developed equipment works by sending microwaves through the food, Matt Webster, one of the scientists, explains to MIT Technology Review. The change in properties of the microwaves after they pass through the food tells us something about the fat and water content. According to the scientists, the amount of carbohydrates and proteins can be calculated based on the weight of the food and the measured amount of fat and water.

General Electric has already developed a prototype of a calorie counter. However, it is necessary to put the food in a blender first: a homogeneous mixture is needed to make a reliable measurement. According to the scientists, future versions should also be able to handle unhomogenized food.

Ultimately, General Electric hopes to incorporate the technology into conventional microwave ovens. In this way, users can find out how many calories they ingest, and integrate this with calorie trackers, for example. Incidentally, the technology could also be used to simply build a calorie counter, without a microwave function.