Weightloss starts with good eating habits, and not just what you eat, but how you ingest food. Sometimes taking a little extra time to chew and pace ourselves through a meal can be a simple start to shedding a few pounds. One device is looking to corner the weightloss market with a haptic feedback fork that reminds you to take time in between bites during meals.
The HAPIfork is one of the most intelligent utensils you’ll ever use. Making its first appearance at first appearance at CES 2013, the HAPIfork made quite an impression given that it’s a wellness device that has nothing to do with fitness. Equipped with a capacitive sensor to time each bite, the HAPIfork conditions users who tend to eat too fast. It triggers a tiny vibration (not unlike the haptic feedback in some Android smartphones) to let you know you’re inhaling rather than digesting your food.
The mouth is the first stop in the digestive process, chewing food and allowing the saliva to break down substances makes the stomach’s job much easier (and you might avoid an achy belly in the process). Also, it’ll give the stomach enough time to communicate with the brain that it’s full, which releases hormones that give you a “satisfied†feeling before you go in for seconds.
The design (pictured above) is a bit bulkier and, let’s be honest, looks like a kid’s fork designed by Apple. It connects to your computer via USB where it uploads your stats, like how many fork-fulls you took, how long the meal lasted, and how much time you waited between bites.
The HAPIfork could be the perfect solution for consumers seeking a more casual weightloss tool rather than one of the many advanced fitness pedometers and watches on the market, today. If this device has piqued your interest, it’s available for “pre-order,†meaning you can invest at least $89 in the project through Kickstarter, and in return HapiLabs will give you a HAPIfork. However, all that is dependant on the project reaching its target goal of $100,000. But it doesn’t look like the team will have much issue. As of this posting, its reached over 70% of its target goal with plenty of time to spare.
