San Francisco-based startup Mark One has begun accepting pre-orders for Vessyl a smart cup which can analyse whatever liquid is poured into it at a molecular level. Co-founded by Justin Lee and Yves Behar, along with the Fuseproject team, Mark One aims to create desirable products that inspire people to make healthier choices.

Within seconds Vessyl can identify what’s inside, with the contents name appearing on a digital screen on the cup’s side, such as ‘orange juice’ or ‘beer’, it can even detect whether coffee is strong or weak, and the difference between Coke and Pepsi.

While a clever gimmick, a cup that can only identity liquids wouldn’t be doing anything the average user couldn’t do with their own mouth. In short, it’d be pointless. The real value in Vessyl is its ability to tell you the liquid’s dietary content such as calories, fats, sugars and caffine. These results are then synchronised with an accompanying smartphone app available for IOS and Android devices.

Using the app the information is tracked in real time and can be tailored to the user’s individual needs and goals, such as ‘weight loss’, ‘regulate sugar’, ‘sleep better’, ‘stay hydrated’ and ‘build muscle’. In order to provide more accurate net calories and hydration awareness Vessyl also connects with popular activity trackers.

As beverages are the #1 source of calorie intake Mark One VP of Health – and medical doctor – Mark Berman, hopes the technology could be life-changing –

“As you use the Vessyl, it’s going to learn more about you and your consumption habits and patterns,” Berman says. “But the main goal is actually to help you make healthier and more informed decisions in real time.”

While Yves Behar, co-founder of Mark One explains the thinking behind the design process of the product –

‘integrating breakthrough technology into everyday products is always a challenge, at the same time, this is exactly how design makes tech products easily adoptable in life,’

‘for vessyl, we made the cup comfortable and familiar, and made the display of the information discreet and only visible when needed. the faceted exterior surface is just enough of an indicator that something might be different about the cup, and provides it with a porcelain-like surface reflectivity.’

Overall we think this is a fascinating product and if it works as promised – and initial prototype reports are positive – it could be a hugely innovative and more importantly very useful self-tracker.