LiSTA: Non-invasive Sensing of Liquid States through Smartphone LiDAR

This paper comprehensively examines an innovative method to analyze time-varying physical properties like the viscosity of a liquid leveraging the LiDAR technology integrated into smartphones. Conventional techniques for determining liquid characteristics call for pricey lab apparatus or a significant fluid volume. On the other hand, the proposed smartphone-based approach, called LiSTA, requires only a single liquid drop and is accessible and contactless. We apply the proposed solution for three applications: detecting baby food spoilage, exploring calories consumed while taking a drink, and analyzing milk adulteration by examining its dilution factor. Our preliminary study indicates that smartphone LiDAR can effectively analyze various time-varying properties of a liquid in a pervasive way, showing its potential for different applications.