A whimsical gadget that tracks what you put in your mouth could make dieting a little easier.
The HAPIfork, a smart piece of cutlery complete with Bluetooth radio, sensors and a vibrating motor, tracks everything you eat. The concept behind the fork’s design is that every time the fork is used, sensor technology detects how many bites you take, as well as how quickly you’re consuming your food and how long it takes you to finish a meal.
If you’re eating too quickly, a light will flash to warn you, and the vibrating motor will reinforce the message.
Each movement of the fork to a mouth is recorded as a “fork serving.” French firm HAPIlabs say that this kind of cutlery functionality can help you keep your portion sizes and diet under control, as eating too quickly is a cause of weight gain and may cause digestive problems, gastric reflux, and postoperative complications.
All of the information gathered by the HAPIfork is sent to an app’s dashboard via Bluetooth technology or a USB connection. The application, available on the iPhone, Android and Windows Phone, comes complete with diet progress tracking and a workout objective feature. You can also use the app to keep an eye on how much sleep you’re getting, track your exercise sessions, and save your progress with pictures and comments. Alternatively, you can access your food data through an online dashboard.
HAPIlabs says that the fork will soon be available commercially for $99.99. The USB version is due to ship during the second quarter of 2013, and the Bluetooth version will ship during the third quarter.
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