New H2 smartphone puts a lab grade molecular sensor in your hands
Being able to analyse the chemical composition of products, particularly counterfeit ones, has long been something you could only do in a lab, now the lab's in the palm of your hand.
Key takeaways
- Smartphones already do a lot of things, in fact, it's likely that if they were human they'd be forming a union and going on strike.
- The H2 is essentially a miniature spectroscope embedded into a smartphone format that works by shining near-infrared light onto materials.
- The H2 will be available to buy in China in the first half of 2017, with a US introduction expected for later in the year and pricing has yet to be announced.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'New H2 smartphone puts a lab grade molecular sensor in your hands', 311 Institute, 7 January. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/new-h2-smartphone-can-analyses-molecules-and-id-counterfeit-goods/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Smartphones already do a lot of things, in fact, it's likely that if they were human they'd be forming a union and going on strike. But now, thanks to Chinese company Changhon Electric Co they have a new party trick - they can tell us what things are made of using an in built molecular sensor.
First demonstrated at 2015's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas, the Android Changhong H2, backed by $2.3 million in crowdfunding and the result of a partnership between Sichuan based Changhong, Analog Devices Inc (ADI) and Consumer Physics Inc., is back. And this time it's smarter than ever.
The H2 is essentially a miniature spectroscope embedded into a smartphone format that works by shining near-infrared light onto materials. This excites their molecules and the H2 analyses the light that's reflected off of them, reads their unique optical signature and determines the chemical composition of the material.
Changhon say that the H2 works with almost every material and before you think the products boring, or worse in truth it has some interesting use case, but while Changhon suggest using it to figure out the chemical composition of the food you're eating, or using it to detect how ripe your fruit and veg is - something that could be useful if combined with a fitness and diet tracker, such as Fitbit, for example. It's killer application though might be helping authorities and individuals detecting counterfeit products, anything from clothes and drugs, to fake food and medicines, something that is a growing global problem that rakes in over $600Bn a year for organised crime groups who then use the money to fund anything from human trafficking to murder.
However, if you just want to know the chemical composition of Sulphuric Acid without consulting a text book, now you can. Needless to say, though, the sky's the limit once third parties start producing apps.
The H2 will be available to buy in China in the first half of 2017, with a US introduction expected for later in the year and pricing has yet to be announced.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Being able to analyse the chemical composition of products, particularly counterfeit ones, has long been something you could only do in a lab, now the lab's in the palm of your hand.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
- Changhon Electric Co en.changhong.com
- Analog Devices Inc analog.com
- Consumer Physics Inc., is back. And this time it's smarter than ever. consumerphysics.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 7 January 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). New H2 smartphone puts a lab grade molecular sensor in your hands. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/new-h2-smartphone-can-analyses-molecules-and-id-counterfeit-goods/
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