5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  ConvSpec is a near-infrared spectrometer measuring 4.8 × 6.2 × 0.6 cm, weighing 16.5 g, and costing an estimated $10 in components.

• 2

  The device covers wavelengths from about 1,200 to 1,700 nm and collects and processes each spectrum in less than 0.4 seconds.

• 3

  In internal tests, machine learning models correctly classified samples of plastics, pharmaceuticals, coffee, flour, and tea.

• 4

  In solution experiments, ConvSpec measured ethanol, lactate, glucose, and ethylene glycol concentrations from 0.1% to 40%, with mean absolute errors of 0.006% to 0.017%.

• 5

  Exploratory wrist-probe testing found that glucose models could not reliably predict levels in new participants, and the study did not establish ConvSpec as a clinical diagnostic test.