A calorie-counting microwave? GE is working with Baylor on the concept

It feels like something from The Jetsons or Star Trek, but it’s much closer to reality than to TV Land.

A team from GE, working with faculty and students from Baylor’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, are moving towards a push-button device that could, in an instant, tell you just how many calories are on your plate.

Today, they’ve developed a machine that uses microwaves to determine how much fat and water are in a mixture; combined with its weight, the machine can calculate calorie content with 90-95% accuracy. Next up? The ability to create a microwave or other push-button device that could simply calculate the calories in an entire meal, perhaps even linked to a smartphone app to track an individual’s diet, like the mock-up pictured above. Watch this video to see how the concept works:

In Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, professors and students have teamed with GE Global Research Labs. Together, they are building upon earlier patents by Dr. Randall Jean, a Baylor professor since 2003; Jean is leading the research effort along with two other Baylor engineering professors, Dr. Robert Marks and Dr. Yang Li. Students involved in the project include doctoral candidate Brandon Herrera (BSECE ’08, MSECE ’11), recent MSECE graduate Chris Faulkner (BSECE ’12, MSECE ’14), and current MSECE student Adam Parks (BSECE ’13).

Sic ’em, Baylor engineering researchers!