The $99 HAPIfork, available this spring, uses sensors to monitor its movement from plate to mouth. It tracks the number of forkfuls per meal and per minute, and it times the interval between each. The fork lights up and vibrates when the diner eats too fast — that is, if there are fewer than 10 seconds between forkfuls. With the smart fork, “you will greatly improve your digestion, and you’ll likely start losing weight,” says a company spokesman. (Presumably, any weight loss is from eating less and slowly, not from food that vibrates off the fork and onto the floor. The HAPIfork vibration is similar to the buzz of a vibrating cell phone.) Although dining data can be tracked over time, the information must be downloaded to a computer after each meal. A spokesman says a Bluetooth version is in the works.

Slower eating has proven health benefits. Studies have found that it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to alert your brain that you’re full, and eating faster means you are likely to consume more before that happens, says Kari L. Kooi, a registered dietitian at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. The HAPIfork’s size, a bit smaller than typical dinner forks, also helps. “A lot of people stuff their mouths with each bite,” she says.

CES: The latest weight-loss tool? A fork – Breaking News – MarketWatch