Smart label lets you know exactly when your food is off
A "smart" label which changes colour when a product is no longer safe to use has come a step closer to reality with help from Heriot-Watt University.
UWI Technology sought the help of Interface, an SFC-funded "matchmaking" service to link business with academia for research and knowledge exchange projects, to find an academic partner to help develop the UWI Label, a smart label incorporated into packaging which can determine exactly when the contents are no longer safe to use.
The collaboration allowed a working demonstrator of the label to be developed to demonstrate to investors. UWI and Heriot-Watt have already secured further funding to expand the work to meet commercial demand and are working on a proposal for a SMART: Scotland grant from Scottish Enterprise to bring the innovation to product stage.
While the idea for the UWI Label was first thought of for use in food-related packaging, through detailed market research UWI Technology has discovered the label could also be used in other sectors such as pharmaceuticals, industrial glues, sealants and chemicals as well as cosmetics, veterinary and blood banks.