Dev Turns MacBook Trackpad Into A Weighing Scale With A Free Open-Supply App

Immediately, we begin the information with one thing fairly curious: Do you know that you need to use your MacBook trackpad as a scale? Effectively, that’s fairly spectacular, don’t you suppose so? It’s all attainable because of Krish Shah, a Canadian developer and blogger, who launched an experimental macOS software known as TrackWeight. The app makes use of the strain sensitivity constructed into the MacBook’s trackpad to estimate weight and is now out there as open-source software program beneath the MIT License on GitHub.

TrackWeight works by decoding strain information captured by the Drive Contact sensors. Nonetheless, it requires a steady finger contact throughout measurement to keep up the capacitive sensing essential for operation. Shah notes that whereas this design would possibly barely influence measurement accuracy, the outcomes have confirmed to be “fairly correct” in sensible use.

The app’s performance is supported by a mixture of improvement instruments, together with SwiftUI for the person interface and Mix for dealing with information circulate. Shah additionally credit present work by developer Takuto Nakamura (@Kyome22) and the Open Multi-Contact Assist library, which allows entry to detailed trackpad contact metrics like place, strain, angle, and density.

I examined the accuracy by placing my MacBook on prime of a weighing scale and recording a video whereas including strain, then evaluating frames.

You may see it’s fairly correct! pic.twitter.com/etP8qlrGCh

— Krish Shah (@KrishRShah) July 21, 2025

The app has limitations typical of experimental instruments. It’s most correct with objects weighing a number of tens of grams, and Shah has efficiently examined it with objects as heavy as 3.5 kilograms. Nonetheless, utilizing the app to weigh baggage or an individual is strongly discouraged as a result of danger of damaging the laptop computer.

TrackWeight is solely suitable with MacBook fashions that embrace Drive Contact trackpads—particularly, MacBook Professional (2015 or newer) and MacBook (2016 or newer) fashions. Customers should guarantee the thing being weighed matches throughout the bodily dimensions of the trackpad. Moreover, metallic objects could trigger errors in studying on account of false capacitive detection; Shah recommends putting such objects on a paper towel to keep away from misreadings.

Directions for constructing and operating the app can be found on the GitHub web page, however Shah emphasizes that TrackWeight is meant solely for academic and experimental use. It isn’t advisable for business purposes or any context requiring exact or licensed measurements.

In essence, TrackWeight is a intelligent, low-stakes hack that demonstrates the inventive potential of Apple’s {hardware} — pushing the boundaries of what a laptop computer’s trackpad can do, whereas reminding customers to train warning when repurposing units in unintended methods.

Filed in Apple >Computers. Learn extra about Apple, Macbook Air and Macbook Pro.