The MacBook Pro (Apple) and the MacBook Air have a haptic trackpad which detects not only if a click is carried out, but also the force of the click. Apple uses this function for gestures, allowing users for example to search for individual words with a firm click. Canadian developer Krish Shah has managed to transform the trackpad into a small scale by evaluating the data collected and calculating the pressure and therefore the weight of the object on the touchpad.
The result is an application called trackweight, which can be downloaded for free from GitHub. This application allows users to weigh objects that are not too heavy, but with a number of limitations. First, the trackpad must be hit with the finger while the object is weighed. Second, weighing objects should be small enough to keep it entirely on the trackpad. Finally, electricity conductive objects can only be weighed if the electrical contact is prevented, for example, by a piece of fabric.
Trackweight’s source code must be downloaded, compiled and executed in XCode after deactivating the sandbox of the application in the project settings. According to Krish Shah, Trackweight can measure the weight of objects in a relatively precise manner, but the developer insists that the application is still experimental and that the results should only be considered as indications. Too heavy objects can damage the trackpad; The application has been tested up to a maximum weight of 3.5 kilograms