Estimating calories from a photo of a dish
The user photographs a dish; the system identifies its ingredients, estimates the amount and calories of each, and calculates the dish's total. Useful for diabetics, people on diets, and anyone who wants to track their food without weighing every bite.
The problem
Calorie apps rely on entering every ingredient and its weight by hand, which users rarely keep up for more than a week. As a result tracking stops, and diabetics keep estimating portions by eye.
How it works
- ImagingThe camera takes a photo of the dish from above.
- MatchingThe image is compared with a prepared ingredient database, and the closest candidate ingredients are extracted.
- SelectionA vision model identifies the ingredients actually visible and estimates the size of each.
- AccountEach ingredient's amount is multiplied by its calories per unit, then summed for the whole dish.
Project features
- Recognition happens in two stages: visual matching first, then a vision-language model to settle the final ingredients.
- It estimates the amount as well as identifying the ingredient — the harder part.
- A locally editable ingredient database, allowing Jordanian dishes that aren't listed to be added.
- It shows each ingredient and its calories, instead of a single unexplained number.
Parts
All the parts you need in one place. Remove what you already have, and swap parts to fit your budget. Parts with a photo are available in our store at their current price.
Prices are estimates and may change. Parts marked “other supplier” are ordered outside our main store.
Expected challenges
These are the main obstacles to expect during the build, laid out clearly so you know them before you start.
- Size can't be measured from a single photo, so a fixed reference in the picture is needed, such as a spoon or a coin.
- Ingredients in mixed dishes like mansaf and maqluba overlap, hiding some under others.
- Jordanian dishes aren't in ready-made databases, so they must be built.
- A wrong calorie estimate can be dangerous for a diabetic, so a disclaimer is mandatory.
The consultation gives you a solution for each one.
Similar projects
Projects close to this one in idea or parts. Check the differences before deciding, and borrow ideas you can add to your own project.
Students' experiences
Add a comment on the idea: +2 points. Or share your experience with photos of your build: +10 points. Every 50 points become a JD 5 discount voucher on parts orders.
Need solutions to the challenges and a complete technical path?
In the consultation we give you a solution for each challenge above, plus a practical build plan from the first step to the last: technologies, libraries, wiring diagram, timeline, and tips for the defense.
- Consultation session
- PDF with solutions and a plan
- 20 د.أ فقط