Australian scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have reportedly developed a method of accurately detecting if milk has gone bad by using the vibration motor inside smartphones.
It’s reported that researchers at UNSW Computer Science and Engineering developed an enhanced smartphone sensor called “VibMilk”, which uses the device’s vibration motor and inertial measurement unit (IMU) to check the freshness of milk without needing to open the container.
According to reports, the development could curb up to 20% of waste in Dairy products, the researchers claim.
“You can smell or taste if milk is off, but that requires opening the package,” UNSW Professor Wen Hu said. “Doing so exposes it to bacteria, and that accelerates spoilage. VibMilk is non-invasive, which means you can test the freshness of the milk without breaking the seal.”
VibMilk works by analysing the changes in physical properties when it starts to spoil like density, viscosity, and surface tension, all of which return different responses to vibration signals.
“Testing on four common smartphones showed that VibMilk can predict the pH values of milk with an average accuracy of 98.35% and achieved a 100% accuracy for indicating fresh milk,” UNSW announced on its website.
