We‘ve all been there; talking to someone we like, a colleague or an important client, and all you can think about is the Garlic smothered ciabatta you had for lunch.
Wouldn‘t it be wonderful then if you could test your breath (accurately) before heading into that all important meeting? Sure it would. And soon you will be able to do just that.
Say hello to the Mint – and no, not a literal mint, but a smart device that will advise you whether or not you might need a breath mint.
The small, inconspicuous (yet totally powerful) device was developed by the same company that developed a breathalyzer that simply plugs into your smartphone and tells you your your alcohol level. By utilizing the same breathing technology, this device can save you from an embarrassing situation.
What it does is really straight forward. It rates your breath quality – or, in layman‘s terms, whether your breath is stinky or not.
How it works is rather ingenious. The Mint uses a sensor built into the device that scans your mouth (and thereby also your breath) and then measures the amount of bad breath inducing compounds found inside your mouth such as methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide. All you have to do, is blow on it.
It can also tell whether or not you are dehydrated, which, in case you didn‘t know (we sure didn‘t) also causes bad breath. So it will also recommend you to drink a glass or two of water.
The device works alongside an accompanying app that then informs you what your “˜breath quality‘ is and whether it might be a good idea to reach for the Smints. The app is available on both iOS and Android and the iOS version cleverly syncs up with HealthKit for iPhones.
The Mint is currently part of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and, in the mere two days that it has been listed on the site, has garnered over $20 000 out of its $25 000 goal. Obviously being a testament as to how popular such a device would be.
A prototype of the Mint was recently demoed at the 2015 CES conference in Las Vegas and some attendees were lucky enough to give it a shot. According to those that tried the device, it worked seamlessly and could give you a reading of your breath quality in under 12 seconds. Pretty impressive.
By the looks of things, the Mint will definitely be a big hit. The company has said that they hope to shio the first production of Mints by August. No word yet as to how much it will retail for.
Source: Mashable
