back to article IoT cup claims 'instant' identification of what's in it

Are you a Silicon Valley man-child, too distracted by the ethereal beauty of your last thousand lines of code, or too dependent on others to bring you stuff, to ever notice what you're actually drinking? Fear not. Rather than have to lift your head or sully your senses with the mundane world, you can now rely on the Internet of …

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  1. Charles 9

    Actually, this may have a use.

    How do you KNOW what you're drinking is what you're drinking? If it's as precise as it claims, it could perhaps be used to identify a spiked, dilute, or otherwise improper drink.

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Actually, this may have a use.

      This is only the beginning. A cup that could set off an alarm if you drink something your allergic to? Plates/forks/spoons with the same abilities? That gets into the real of saving lives.

      Will this particular device be that good? Oh, I doubt it. But it's a 1.0. 10 years from now, I fully expect that trips to the hospital due to some poor child eating nuts where he wasn't supposed to being down to "virtually nonexistent" in first world nations.

      But hey, for 90% of the world, it's all a great joke. Internet of Things! Ha-ha! What could electricity horseless carriages moving pictures sensors ever do for the common man?

      1. Chairo

        Re: Actually, this may have a use.

        Given the severity of food allergies, I think this is nothing to make too much fun of. Having an anaphylactic reaction is not funny at all. It's a very miserable way to go. In severe cases, it is enough to eat something that just contains traces of something you are allergic against. Personally I would be quite happy, if someone would invent a sensor to check for allergens in food or drinks.

        1. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

          Re: Actually, this may have a use.

          You do realise that most food intolerance is minor, right?

          Peanuts are the most major (in the USA, & somewhat in the UK) but that has now been cured by actually eating peanuts. (As a therapy, don't just knock a few back)

          As for the idea? I'll believe this 'super sensor' when I see it. Odds are high this is a made-up thing. If it takes 20,000 biological receptors to do the job, one silicon sensor probably won't cut the mustard.

          1. Elmer Phud
            Headmaster

            Re: Actually, this may have a use.

            "but that has now been cured by actually eating peanuts."

            Oh dear, oh dear.

            'Actually'? -- it's like a teenager saying 'technically'.

            Which means it is NOT a universal truth after all.

          2. Chairo

            Re: Actually, this may have a use.

            @YetAnotherLocksmith

            food intolerances are a very tricky thing. You usually need several factors to come together, to trigger an attack, but when it happens you are in deep trouble. I once had one triggered by a fruit cocktail that was served for new year in the canteen. Took just ten minutes or so, until I (luckily) puked out most of it. It felt, like someone gave me a good beating in the stomach.

            There might be some people who can be healed by applying allergen doses over time (desensitization), but that doesn't work in 100% of all cases. It certainly didn't work for me.

            Anyway - I think there is a huge market for allergen testers. The cup in this article might just be a useless toy, but at least the technology is making progress.

      2. Adam 1

        Re: Actually, this may have a use.

        >This is only the beginning. A cup that could set off an alarm if you drink something your allergic to?

        Fosters

        1. Anonymous Custard

          Re: Actually, this may have a use.

          It could be a good use for the device/concept, but it doesn't need an internet connection to do that does it? OK so you may need to plug it into a PC initially to set it up (so it knows what to try and detect), but aside from that no further need for talking to anyone except whoever is holding it.

          OK there may be an argument for an alert system too, but that's probably overkill (no pun intended). Isn't the only person who really needs to know the one who's actually holding the thing, as it's them that would be affected (presuming we don't go mug-sharing).

    2. BlartVersenwaldIII

      Re: Actually, this may have a use. For Vizzini at least.

      IoTaine powder is tasteless, odourless and dissolves instantly in liquid.

  2. jake Silver badge

    This has GOT to be ...

    ... the absolutely stupidest concept ElReg has ever reported on.

    I mean, honestly, what kind of mouth-breathing idiot thinks this is useful?

    Don't give the mouth-breathers any more press, ElReg. Waste of column inches.

    1. Frumious Bandersnatch

      Re: This has GOT to be ...

      ... the absolutely stupidest concept ElReg has ever reported on.

      What, didn't you read this part:

      it can tell the difference between [...] water and Budweiser

      That's an absolutely amazing feat. The man deserves a Nobel prize for that part alone!

    2. Lamont Cranston
      Trollface

      Re: This has GOT to be ...

      Does this mean that jake hasn't already built one of his own? First time for everything, I suppose.

  3. Trevor_Pott Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Yeah, snark aside, sign me up. "Don't remember if that's your 18th cup or your 8th?" Yep, that's me. Clinically diagnosable ADHD, right here. Also, I work a lot. Also, I have many jobs. Also...when at parties, it's be cool to have a widget that kept track of how many drinks I've had, because I'm the first to admit that I'm not good at remembering.

    In addition, I have a lovely genetic mutation where I don't actually feel thirst. It might sound stupid to those not born with it, but I actually do not feel thirsty. When others would feel thirst, I feel a desire to consume carbohydrates. You can't just "think yourself better" from that; it's genetic, and it's a Very Bad Thing.

    I usually have little reminders go off every so often to remind me to drink water. Combined with putting a cooler at my desk, I can mostly stay hydrated. But hey, how much of what do I drink? Coffee? Alcohol? Water? Gatorade? Gathering empirical evidence and then being able to tailor my alerting system to optimize my hydration (and caffination!) might bump my productivity up a few notches. Especially since dehydration = distracted = lost revenue to opportunity cost.

    We aren't all perfect specimens of human normalcy. As a representative of the "damaged" members of species, I welcome this tool that is so casually dismissed as a mere vanity item.

    1. drunk.smile

      Must remember to hack these to reset counter every couple of drinks for Xmas party abuse.

    2. frymaster

      @Trevor_Pott

      Interesting. MDMA also supresses the thirst signal. People would take it, then dance all night, and not realise they were dangerously dehydrated. Leah Betts took MDMA and because she "knew" that you had to drink lots of water when taking it, died of water intoxication. So I can definitely see why people who don't feel thirst could use this

    3. David 66

      Thirst is commonly felt as hunger. I am in the habit of drinking first to see if the hunger goes away.

  4. Mark 85

    Ah.. explains it all.. IoT.

    So this is another IoT for a data slurp as well as a nice drink? With all the various articles and commentaries about privacy and surveillance is this what everyone really needs or wants? Unless you're a prole and it's forced on you, of course.

    Ok..maybe Trevor needs the info on himself...

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Ah.. explains it all.. IoT.

      Hey, IoT where the data goes into "the cloud" for the yanks to sell? Bad. IoT where I get info to make my life better? Good!

      Why does it all have to be "bad" just because the yanks making it want your privacy? Wait for some nice Nordic folk to come out with some IoT stuff. It won't try to sell you and your family for a bent pittance, and it'll have all the benefits. :)

      1. Mark 85

        Re: Ah.. explains it all.. IoT.

        I'm thinking not in the alphabet soup of agencies but ads....

        Your phone suddenly pops up with" I see you're drinking water. May I suggest a nice, cold, refreshing Budweiser?"

        All sponsored by Google or whatever, of course.

  5. Steven Roper

    Another Frank Herbert prophecy comes to pass

    "we developed a sensor that could instantly analyse the nutritional content of what’s inside a beverage … on a molecular level"

    Can anyone spell poison snooper?

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Another Frank Herbert prophecy comes to pass

      Doesn't everyone employ a Bene Gesserit for this purpose? You don't? Oh...how terribly common...

      1. DropBear
        Trollface

        Re: Another Frank Herbert prophecy comes to pass

        '...even though Vessyl isn't also tracking how much you're excreting emitting.'

        Oh, all that and more will come built into the Mk.2 - the one with a stillsuit 'add-on'...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Tracking hydration levels ...

    Seems they have missed a trick for tracking hydration levels - I have no doubt that the clever cup sensor can also track how much and how concentrated a users urine is to get really accurate information on their hydration ...

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Tracking hydration levels ...

      The problem is that those most likely to need it - the ill, elderly and infirm - will have trouble peeing in the cup. Make a toilet that can do this and you'll sell millions. Make something that can retrofit an existing toilet with this capability and you'll sell hundreds of millions.

      1. DiViDeD

        Re: Tracking hydration levels ...

        I may not be ill, elderly or infirm, yet, but I am still going to have difficulty peeing into the cup which I am also using to analyse what I drink.

        Maybe two cups, clearly marked 'IN' and 'OUT'?

        1. noominy.noom
          Thumb Up

          Re: Tracking hydration levels ...

          @DiViDeD

          My thought exactly.

  7. Allan George Dyer

    Amazing!

    It can tell the difference between water and Budweiser!

    A version that detected Rohypnol would be useful.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      Re: Amazing!

      It can tell the difference between water and Budweiser!

      Quite obviously a false claim. There is no difference between water and Budweiser.

      1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

        Re: Amazing!

        "There is no difference between water and Budweiser."

        Yes there is. The latter contains more-than-trace quantities of horse urine.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Thumb Up

          Re: Amazing!

          Yes there is. The latter contains more-than-trace quantities of horse urine.

          Touché

        2. jake Silver badge

          Trevor sez: (was: Re: Amazing!)

          ""There is no difference between water and Budweiser.""

          Yes there is. The latter contains more-than-trace quantities of horse urine."

          You are a fucking idiot, Trevor.

          Try to brew light beer, with no off-flavo(u)rs. Then do it on an industrial scale.

          1. Naughtyhorse

            Re: Try to brew light beer, with no off-flavo(u)rs. Then do it on an industrial scale.

            Kinda begs the question why fucking bother.

            1. jake Silver badge

              Re: Try to brew light beer, with no off-flavo(u)rs. Then do it on an industrial scale.

              Why fucking bother?

              Because preserved water is kinda useful if you need hydration.

          2. Chairo
            Pint

            Re: Trevor sez: (was: Amazing!)

            "Try to brew light beer, with no off-flavo(u)rs. Then do it on an industrial scale."

            since when is horse piss considered to be a flavo(u)r?

            (No, this is not a glass of beer)

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Trevor sez: (was: Amazing!)

              Since it seems extremely popular in parts of the world where it's too hot to really enjoy robust brew. All they want is something refreshing with just enough flavor that it doesn't take like metal. Something must be going right if they're selling like crazy, and before you say we don't know better, people can enjoy craft beer if they want, but many don't want to. And it's multicultural, as Hispanics have similar tastes, given the popularity for Mexican lagers.

          3. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            @jake

            "You are a fucking idiot, Trevor.

            Try to brew light beer, with no off-flavo(u)rs. Then do it on an industrial scale."

            I see that as ever, your humour detector requires tuning.

            1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

              Re: @jake

              It's jake. He's too busy sipping his homebrewed beer made of the fermented tears of his enemies. All while he flies to work in his mahogany helicopter, from the deep-forest acreage that he build with his own two hands, out of the spare zeros and ones he saved by coding a Big Data financials database that makes trillions of dollars per second. Naturally he coded it on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum made out of things being better in the past.

              Whatever you do, jake does better. Whatever you like, jake likes something better. Whatever you drink, eat, say, shit, piss, or breathe, jake does it better. And in the past, when men were men and women flew the choppers, everyone was better...but jake's all that's left, here to tell us all about how amazing he is.

              ...but he still doesn't get "humour". That's for lesser beings.

              1. jake Silver badge

                @ Trevor_Pott (was: Re: @jake)

                Trevor, stay on your meds.

                1. Lamont Cranston
                  Go

                  Re: @ Trevor_Pott (was: @jake)

                  This thread is excellent - first time I've ever seen anyone step in to defend the tast of Budweiser!

                  What's next - a detailed critique of the unique nuances and subtle aromas of Mad Dog 20/20?

  8. frank ly

    This is a useful development ...

    ... as a last stage check that your monkey butler has done a good job. They're good but sometimes they get confused.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: This is a useful development ...

      "... as a last stage check that your monkey butler has done a good job. They're good but sometimes they get confused."

      I usually just increase the setting on their bowler hats a little, but not TOO much...

  9. king of foo

    2 girls 1 cup

    Heh.

    1. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

      Re: 2 girls 1 cup

      That'd confuse the count - sharing the cup.

  10. Rog in NZ

    Or another Douglas Adams prophecy?

    Surely the end-game is much more obvious than mere poison detectors or allergy avoiders. It's one small step from this ...

    "... we developed a sensor that could instantly analyse the nutritional content of what’s inside a beverage … on a molecular level"

    ... to this ...

    "When the 'Drink' button is pressed it makes an instant but highly detailed examination of the subject's taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the subject's metabolism, and then sends tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centres of the subject's brain to see what is likely to be well received. ... However, no-one knows quite why it does this because it then invariably delivers a cupful of liquid that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea."

    Share and Enjoy!

  11. Mage Silver badge

    Patented Algorithm

    Surely the magic sensor is worthy of a patent on this and nothing else.

    Why is anyone anywhere allowed to "patent" an algorithm? Copyright the implementation, yes.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Patented Algorithm

      Same reason someone can patent a design. Because it's the TECHNIQUE that's the key, NOT the implementation (and since there's more than one way to perform a technique, copyright can't protect you--that's how IBM lost control of the PC market when Compaq introduced the clone BIOS).

      1. Mage Silver badge

        Re: Patented Algorithm

        The PC was generic built out of a Catalogue in a few weeks. There was very little that was actually IBM's. That's a major reason for anyone to win making a Clone. But with Lisa/Mac, only the GUI concept was a generic copy.

      2. Mage Silver badge

        Re: Patented Algorithm

        No, an algorithm is ultimately Mathematics. Which can't and shouldn't be patentable.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Patented Algorithm

          It MUST be patentable. Because a DESIGN is ultimately mathematics, too (because just about anything you can do in a design can be expressed in terms of equations--even mechanics, electrics, etc.).

  12. Elmer Phud
    Happy

    I know when I've had enough!

    " And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching "

    1. Robert E A Harvey

      Re: I know when I've had enough!

      I like a man with literary pretensions

  13. Stuart Castle Silver badge

    The difference between Starbucks and coffee..

    Just glad I am not the only one who can spot the difference between Starbucks and decent coffee.

    Don't get me wrong. I like the odd Starbucks, but it *is* massively overpriced for what you get..

  14. Bassey

    Wow, El Reg being written by commentards

    What an appalling article? I expect comments, after a piece, along the lines of "This device isn't useful to me therefore everyone who is interested must be a raving idiot" but I don't usually see the author firing the opening shots.

    Quite apart from the examples given above, long distance running would be a perfect candidate for this technology, if not the product itself.

    Working on the basis the sensors actually work, if they could be placed into a sports bottle they would be brilliant. I do ultra distance events, mountain marathons, that sort of thing. Whilst you are required to carry some emergency supplies you are fairly dependant on whatever the race organisers supply at the feed stations for most of your needs.

    So I spend months training, watching what I eat and drink, analysing how much I sweat under certain conditions, formulating feed and hydrations plans but then have to take whatever is available (usually very little by the time I get there) and hope it is okay. I can control this a bit by carrying salt tablets to drop into water etc. but I'm constantly getting it wrong and ending up either dehydrated or (worse) washing all the salts out of my system by drinking too much water and then coming down with cramps.

    A bottle that can analyse exactly what I've consumed and send an alert to my phone with a recommendation of what to collect at the next feed station would be an amazing thing indeed. And if the number of on-line stores, brands, products etc. cropping up all the time is anything to go by this is a large and rapidly growing market.

    1. Mage Silver badge

      Re: Wow, El Reg being written by commentards

      Which makes it more fun than other sites.

      If this works (I'm sceptical), then joking aside it could be useful. Does it actually measure consumption though?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Wow, El Reg being written by commentards

        It would be handy if it kept count. Do they do it in a pint-sized version?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A solution looking for a problem.

    see title

  16. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    I'm thinking...

    A mug which tells you what you are drinking, an internet connection, curved and flexible screens, the hints of 3D "raised" displays, and we have the New Amazon SmartPhone Coffee Mug Sponsored By CocaCostaStarberg.

    Take your mug everywhere with you, get offers sent by GPS location and every time you buy a drink (discounted for having your own mug of course) you get loyalty points from the vendor, twit and farcebook all your friends what you are drinking and where and it even plays AngryBitches as well making phone calls.

    What's not to love?

  17. DropBear
    Pint

    I'm still waiting...

    ...for the cup with opto / capacitive sensors on the inside and a curved OLED screen outside, that will helpfully display the level and overall look of the liquid remaining inside.

    ...Huh? What is this "glass" thing you're talking about?!?

  18. Gazareth

    Could be useful...

    IntelliCup has detected this is your 15th Jaegerbomb. Contacting phone and disabling apps Facebook, Twitter, etc etc. All phone numbers except Taxi firms now barred.

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