科学美国人60秒:HAPIfork Monitors Eating Speed

Healthy eating isn’t just what you eat and when you eat but how fast you eat as well. Treating every meal like a track meet can cause indigestion and, some say, weight gain. But a new gadget could help people eat more slowly. It was on display at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It looks like a simple fork, but the high-tech utensil called the HAPIfork is outfitted with sensors. They measure the number of times you place the fork in your mouth per minute, the intervals between these fork servings and how long it takes you to finish your meal. If you’re plowing through your food, HAPIfork vibrates and flashes an LED. Better than a slap on the back of your head from your mother.

HAPIfork maker HAPIlabs says the fancy fork will cost about $100 when it hits the market later this year. It comes with software that lets you track and share info about your eating habits via computer or smart phone.

If soup is your thing, they’re also working on a HAPIspoon. Which should cause quite a stir.

—Larry Greenemeier