GE creates a microwave that calculates the calories on your dinnerplate

We’ve had detailed nutritional information on most packaged goods for years, but calorie-counting can still prove confusing and problematic. That’s why GE (General Electric) has developed this prototype of a microwave that does the work for you.

By passing low-energy microwaves all the way through your food, it determines how many calories are in it using just three pieces of information: weight, fat content and water content.  These three key measurements can be recorded with relative ease and, from them, other things can be worked out such as fibre, sugar and protein levels. This information is then sent straight to a smartphone app. Simple, right?

Well, the only catch is that the technology is currently only accurate with foods that are uniform throughout, such as blended soups, which is pretty restrictive. However, the company is hoping to leap this hurdle in the future to allow solid foods to be analysed, too.

If health-tracker kitchen appliances become the norm, they could be a great way to keep an eye on what we’re putting in our mouths without the hassle of working out nutritional information for ourselves.

Image via Flickr cc.