A device for detecting and counting bites of food taken by a person during eating.

摘要

We introduce a device capable of detecting in real time information concerning bites taken during a meal. The device can count the total number of bites the user has taken and provide the rate of bites taken (bites per minute) of the user. The device could find use in a number of applications, including helping a user with obesity, eating disorders, or eating rate problems. We have built three prototypes of a bite detector device. Each is based on a different sensor for detecting the motion of the wrist, with particular emphasis given to the rolling motion of the user's wrist. During use, information gathered can be utilized to provide real-time feedback to the user. Information can also be stored to review the motion events as well as to evaluate the performance of the device. Experiments have been conducted to determine the accuracy of the invention. The sensitivity of the device can reach as high as 91%.