Want to grab lunch at the Restaurant of the Future? Fine-if you're okay with your entire visit being videotaped and analyzed by scientists. The new restaurant, set up by Wageningen University in the Netherlands and three companies specializing in food, software, and kitchens, is actually a laboratory where researchers can study eating and drinking behavior. Casino-like ceiling cameras track your every move, and a hidden scale surreptitiously weighs you before you dig in. Lighting, furniture, and even the ambient odor can be changed to create different moods. The place, which officially opened on 4 October, also boasts a sensory research lab in which researchers can measure how people look at, choose, chew, and swallow food. The information can help companies refine their products and lead to new strategies to promote healthier eating, says Rene Koster, director of the "Restaurant of the Future" research foundation.
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