Consumer Physics, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based startup is reportedly set to release a chemical scanner - called SCiO - in early 2015.

Equipped with the most advanced material analysis technology available, the clunky-looking SCiO is essentially a compact spectrometer which has the capability to analyze the chemical composition of an object merely by pointing at it.

The SCiO chemical scanner works in such a way that when the tiny laser is pointed and clicked at an object, it analyzes the object's chemical structure. The tool has been developed by Consumer Physics for three main applications --- food, pharmaceuticals and horticulture.

The SCiO spectrometer is the size of a thumb drive. It can tell the users about the calorie count in a cheese chunk; or can even advise a backyard gardener on the ripeness of a tomato.

Once a chosen object has been scanned by SCiO, the reading is transmitted to app downloaded on the mobile devices of the users. The app uses a cloud-based service to verify the scanner's findings, and returns the detailed information - about calories, carbs, sugars, etc. - in real-time.

With regard to the SCiO's specific focus on food, SCiO creator Dror Sharon said: "We wanted to find applications where people have the most visceral connection to the world."