Popular technology website, Gigaom, featured OurCrowd portfolio company Consumer Physics, which has developed the world’s first affordable molecular sensor – the Scio – that fits in the palm of your hand.

While scientists and researchers use near-infrared spectroscopy on a regular basis, there are lots of consumers that would love to know more about the chemical composition of the world around them, whether it’s identifying the pills left in the back of the medicine cabinet or figuring out whether the fruit at the farmer’s market is ripe. Consumer Physics will offer both Android and iPhone apps, and also hopes to develop a platform upon which third parties can build their own apps.

While the SCiO prototype is about the size of a large keyring, the actual module is much smaller. It’s closer to the size of a smartphone camera module, and could one day be included in a variety of forms, including wearables.

 

Seeded by OurCrowd and top tier Silicon Valley VC Khosla Ventures, Consumer Physics has just emerged from stealth mode with the launch of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

Read more on Gigaom here.