Smart plates: no way? Yes weigh

A smart plate that tracks how much and how quickly food is eaten from it is being touted as a solution to childhood obesity. The 'Mandometer' tells the person eating if they're eating too quickly - a habit experts have linked to weight gain. Can such devices help tackle obesity, and in particular childhood obesity?

According to the BBC News story, "In a trial with 106 obese children the gadget showed promising results, the British Medical Journal reports online. After 12 months of use the children weighed less and ate smaller portions. Their speed of eating was reduced by 11% compared with a gain of 4% in a comparison group."

Personally, I'm sceptical that this will take off in a meaningful way, but I can imagine this being one of a number of emerging technologies designed to tackle obesity. Some will involve telling off, others will be more incentive focussed. So a mix of stick and carrot (eaten slowly of course) then...

BBC News article here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8440193.stm