MIT researchers make fruit ripeness detector in their spare time
In classic MIT fashion, researchers decided gently squeezing fruit to check its ripeness [insert crude sexual innuendo here] wasn't good enough, so they created a hand-held sensor that detects when fruit is ripening. Oh, and it's affordable too. Show-offs. At least it's more kind to the fruit than this gadget.
The sensor is made of thousands of carbon nanotubes with an added copper compound and could possibly cost about a buck (though this writer is personally pretty skeptical it would sell for that cheap).
It could help grocers know what order to sell large fruit stocks in and help fruit-buyers to know what to eat first. Pretty useful, since about 10 percent of produce is lost annually to spoilage. That's several million dollars worth.
Plus, no more over-ripe, mushy, disgusting bananas.
