'Readycado': Sensor alerts avo lovers when fruit is ready to eat

Avocado squeeze tests might soon be a thing of the past with the launch of a new, sensor-driven technology designed to detect if the fruit is perfectly ripe. The Avocado Firmness Decision Aid Tool, nicknamed 'Readycado', was recently revealed at Queensland's annual agricultural show, Ekka, which runs from August 10 to 19.

'We want to take the pressure off this much-loved delicacy and make it easier to assess just how ripe an avocado is without bruising it in the process,' said Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner.

'When applied to an avocado, a pressure sensor attached to your thumb triggers green LED lights on the tool's display showing if the avocado is ripe enough for salad, or for a guacamole dish. If you start pressing too hard, a red warning lights come on.'

The project was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia. Mr Furner said the Department had worked with The University of Queensland and Avocados Australia to develop the tool.

'[The tool] is still a prototype, but it's the way of the future,' he said. Furner said he believes the tool will become commonplace in shops within the next three to five years once it has been commercialised.

Source: dailymail.co.uk