SAN JOSE, CA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 6 Americans contract food poisoning annually after consuming beef, poultry, fish and other meats tainted by food-borne pathogens. Stratio, Inc. today launched several new consumer-friendly applications for collecting an object’s spectral data that will enable consumers to protect their health and financial well-being with just the press of a button.
The new applications pair with Stratio’s LinkSquare pocket-size spectrometer to verify product information or the presence of dangerous pathogens. The device features Stratio’s proprietary silicone (Si)-based sensor covering wavelengths between 400-1000 nm. A user activates the LinkSquare’s sensor to shine light on any object, even small pills and liquids. The device captures how the object's molecules vibrate, to create a unique “optical fingerprint.”
That data is then analyzed through algorithms within Stratio’s database to map the object's identity. The entire process takes just a few seconds, and results are delivered to the user's smartphone.
Consumers can use LinkSquare to:
Avoid contracting foodborne illnesses: The Li nkSquare detects the freshness of meat, poultry and fish, and whether the meat has been tainted with dangerous pathogens like Salmonella, E.coli and Norovirus. LinkSquare can even determine the cacao level in chocolate, and whether trace levels of heavy metals such as cadmium are also present.
Detect counterfeit, mislabeled and diluted liquor: Consumer protection organization SafeProof.org says alcohol fraud, whether it’s retailers selling mislabeled bottles or diluting premium spirits with water, a practice known as “refilling”, can result in illness or death. In July 2017, the U.S. State Department issued a warning t o Americans traveling to Mexico about tainted or counterfeit alcohol following the death of a Wisconsin woman.
LinkSquare can analyze a small sample of alcohol to identify specific brands and varieties, and determine whether a bottle has been mislabeled, or the liquor has been altered or diluted.
Detect counterfeit and mislabeled drugs: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that "1 in 10 medical products circulating in low- and middle-income countries is either substandard or falsified." The risks also extend to countries that have the world's safest and most controlled drug supplies, including the U.S. The AARP reports that counterfeiters are most likely to target Americans age 50 or older, who are responsible for 71 percent of outpatient prescriptions. LinkSquare lets users determine whether their pills are legitimate, and just as importantly, whether their pharmacists filled their prescriptions correctly, with the press of a button .
Detect counterfeit money: LinkSquare Basic can also be used to detect counterfeit currency. An estimated $147 million worth of counterfeit money is currently circulating in the US. Counterfeiters use own sophisticated printing methods to produce forgeries that can deceive the human eye and counterfeit-detector pens . But they cannot fool the LinkSquare.
"We enable individual consumers to protect themselves and their families from the serious risks that counterfeit and tainted goods pose, " said Jae Hyung Lee. Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Stratio. "We are also constantly working to broaden the range of products and applications that consumers and law enforcement agencies can use LinkSquare for, such as trace explosives detection, night vision, medical imaging, LiDAR (autonomous vehicle navigation), and smart home applications.”
Stratio also announced its new stand-alone (no data collection tool included) LinkSquare spectrometer. It includes the new applications and is offered at $299 per unit.
For additional information, please visit www.linksquare.io
About Stratio
Stratio is currently a team of 18 full-timers. CEO and Co-founder, Jae Hyung Lee, is a Stanford EE MS/PhD, and Stratio’s core team includes two other Stanford EE PhDs, and a Stanford MBA. Stratio is headquartered in San Jose, CA and has an office in Seoul, Korea. For more information, please visit us at www.linksquare.io .
Source: Stratio
