People take pictures of food for several reasons. To envy a chef’s skill, to brag. The list goes on. But smartphone users could soon become avid foodie photographers to track their calorie intake. That is, if Google’s new calorie-counting algorithm ever gets off the ground.
The project, titled ‘Im2Calories’, will detect the food items in a captured photo based on their physical qualities. Upon doing so, it will then display a calorie count. Simple enough. The technology is in its early stages of development and has no immediate plans for release, but that didn’t stop Google research scientist Kevin Murphy from talking of his excitement.
Murphy is dreaming big for its implementation in the future, stating at the Rework Deep Learning Summit that “If we can do this for food, that’s just the killer app.” The hope for users is that upon being presented an accurate calorie reading, they can keep a log of their meals as a constructive means of staying in shape, rather than using the tech to feel regret.
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