Fork from the Future Senses When You’re Eating Too Fast, Vibrates to Slow You Down

Jared Newman / TIME.com

And lo, on the eighth day of the calendar month of January in the year 2013, a fork from the future appeared before the bewildered eyes of weary pressfolk attending a technology event in the city of Las Vegas.

They called the fork HAPIfork. But this was no common fork, and he who beholds such a fork may find no HAPI-ness in having to use it – for this fork’s purpose is to goad its owner into sensible eating patterns.

The common fork cares not how often it shovels food into its owners mouth; the HAPIfork’s magical motion sensor knows how often food is shoveled into its owners mouth and vibrates if it deems such mouthfuls too frequent. The HAPIfork demands its owner eat slowly! Perhaps by eating slowly, the owner will feel full without overeating.

The common fork is an inexpensive investment; the HAPIfork will cost $99 when it ships in the springtime. The HAPIfork connects to a computer with a USB cable, transfers information to the Internet and makes the information available via the web and smartphone apps so its owner can experience ultimate levels of self-loathing and/or pride; the common fork, of course, does no such thing.

Product Page: HAPIfork [HAPILABS.com]

MORE: Check out TIME Tech’s complete coverage of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show