Your next dinner plate could tell you to lay off those mashed potatoes.
Philadelphia-based startup Fitly has launched a new Kickstarter campaign for the SmartPlate, a plate that analyses what you’re about to eat.
The SmartPlate, which comes with three digital cameras and image recognition tech, identifies what’s sitting on the surface and transmits that data, along with the weight, to a corresponding iOS or Android app.
The goal of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled SmartPlate is to help control your portions and calorie intake.
While there are apps on the market that already allow users to log their meals, such as MyFitnessPal, the plate collects these details automatically.
In the video demo above, an apple is placed on the SmartPlate, and details populate within the app within seconds: it weighs in at 7.16 oz. and includes 21 grams of sugar, 106 calories, and 28 carbs.
To test for accuracy, the company puts the same apple on a scale to see if it weighs the same – and the results are pretty close; the scale lists it as 7.2 oz.
The SmartPlate impressively differentiates between whole grain bread and white bread too, among other details (i.e., white rice vs. brown rice).
By tracking and logging all of these details, Fitly hopes users will make smarter eating decisions and stay close to their daily calorie goals.
This isn’t the first time a portion-control tech gadget has created a stir online.
At the 2013 International CES, a smart fork called the HAPIfork debuted with fanfare around its ability to track how much you’re eating so you can lose weight.
Nowadays, the fork is being used in the medical field at hospitals to monitor food intake.
There’s also a spinoff product called the Baby GiGL from the same company that allows parents to keep track of how much and how fast a baby is drinking.
Fitly is asking for $100,000 from backers to help get the project off of the ground. At the time of writing, the project has raised almost $22,000.
The SmartPlate will eventually come in a variety of colors (purple, Fuschia, and teal) and is available to early Kickstarter backers for $149. It will later retail for $229 and start shipping in Summer 2016.
