Healthy food should be a way of life, and Google wants to help people make smarter food choices. The search giant is working on a project called Im2Calories. It was designed to detect foods featured in photos and configure calorie counts.
Google’s plans for Im2Calories
The new technology is still in the early phase, as there are no current plans for release. A research scientist for the project, Kevin Murphy, is more than excited about it. He hopes it will help users to keep a log of their meals as a way to keep track of their dietary habits.
The project will take time. The artificial intelligence behind the project is far from perfect and sometimes inaccurately identifies food. For instance, it could confuse a turkey sandwich with a ham sandwich. Fortunately, it features a drop-down menu option for users who need to correct the mistakes. Murphy even admitted to Popular Science that even if it worked only 30% of the time, people could still use it. They could then collect user data and improve the program over time. Murphy has not shared details of when this program might become available to the public.
Some people may be concerned that Im2Calories might shame people for their food choices, but Murphy says the project was made to help people who want to eat better. It wasn’t made to shame anyone.
Growing interest in health-oriented tech
Tech companies are getting more into the health and fitness sector. As people continue to gain more interest in health-oriented products, tech companies will continue to innovate products and services to help people. A product like Im2Calories could inspire and help people make smarter food choices. There are already dozens of apps that track fitness and personal health goals. This project would supplement other health-related goals and simplify food choices. Google’s latest project could quickly become the next big thing.
