“Your thighs are so big, the ground rumbles when you walk.”
“If you eat one more Dorito, you’ll have to buy two airplane seats.”
Are you motivated now to stick to a diet plan? Or are you wondering if I’m writing without having had my morning coffee?
Yes, I’ve had my morning coffee and thankfully, that’s not exactly how the new diet robot out of MIT Media Labs works. But it does capitalize on one key element of human psychology. . .that if you know something is wrong, you’re much less likely to do it while being watched. Shame is a powerful motivator and although the robot is not being marketed as such, shaming you into eating healthily and exercising enough is essentially what it is doing.
How It Works
The robotic weight loss management system is essentially a bust with a moving camera that tracks your face (which is how the robot makes eye contact with you). You have to ‘tell’ the robot how much you’ve eaten and how much you’ve exercised via a touch screen. The robot is fitted with a camera and tracks your face so that it actually makes eye contact with you as you admit that you’ve had one too many doughnuts. It won’t make fun of you, but it does say things like, “We are more likely to make your weight loss goals if you eat less calories during breakfast.”
Not In Stores Yet
Right now the robot will be placed in various homes throughout the Boston area. Researchers are looking to see if this is actually an effective tool for weight loss and whether or not people like using the robot. Since they are looking to do some long term studies, I imagine that robots will not be available for a few more years yet. Don’t think you’ll be able to afford a robot? That’s okay–skinny friends will do the same thing for you and they’re generally free!
Other Diet News:
Yo-Yo Dieting Isn’t That Bad For You