A Unique Use for Your MacBook: Measuring Weight
The term “life hack” often garners skepticism, sometimes reduced to jokes about impractical tips that are more amusing than helpful. Aware of this reputation, it’s important to clarify: using a MacBook as a scale isn’t advisable. However, it is indeed a possibility.
Developer Kris Shah, based in Ontario, has created TrackWeight, an application that transforms any Mac trackpad into a weighing scale. While using a laptop for this purpose might not be ideal—particularly in the kitchen where spills are a concern—the concept is both amusing and intriguing.
To utilize the TrackWeight application, gently rest a finger on the trackpad. Macs are designed to recognize touch through a capacitance mechanism, which means that your finger must make contact without applying downward pressure. Success is best achieved by merely hovering slightly above the surface. For zeroing out the weight before adding an object, pressing the spacebar can be helpful, although placing the item directly on the trackpad will also yield results.
In practical tests, such as weighing a bowl of blueberries, the results were impressively accurate, nearly matching the readings of a standard kitchen scale.
Testing the application on a standalone Magic Trackpad yielded similar results—if not slightly improved—making it a more feasible option, although still not the most practical.
What makes this feat possible? MacBook trackpads include a built-in pressure sensor, primarily designed for functionalities like Force Touch. When pressing firmly on the trackpad, the sensor recognizes the degree of pressure exerted, activating various features.
According to the developer, there exists a concealed API that enables applications to gauge the amount of pressure applied to the trackpad, which in turn allows for weight measurement. This innovative approach highlights fascinating technology hidden within contemporary laptops.
