Washington: Now all your mindless munching can soon come to a halt with Bite Counter, a gadget to remind you of the number of bites you intake, claim researchers.
Bite Counter is worn like a wrist watch. It tracks a pattern of wrist-roll motion to identify when the wearer has taken a bite of food.
"Studies have shown that people tend to underestimate what they eat by large margins, mostly because traditional methods rely upon self-observation and reporting," said Eric Muth, Clemson University psychology professor.
"Our preliminary data suggest that bite count can be used as a proxy for caloric count," added Muth.
Muth designed the device with a colleague, an electrical and computer engineering professor Adam Hoover, according to a Clemson statement.
"The device only requires that the user press a button to turn it on before eating and press the button again after the meal or snack is done. In between, the device automatically counts how many bites have been eaten," Hoover said.
In lab studies, the device has been shown to be more than 90 per cent accurate in counting bites, regardless of the user, food, utensil or container, according to Hoover.
The device can be used anywhere, such as at restaurants or while working, where people find it difficult to manually track and remember calories.
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