Health experts agree that during a meal it takes the brain about 20 minutes to send signals the stomach is full. Therefore, eating too quickly can easily lead to the intake of too many calories and eventual obesity. Engineer Jacques Lepine recently unveiled a device at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show to help combat the problem. The HapiFork vibrates if the user takes a bite less than 10 seconds after the one prior.

“Your hormones are offset when you eat too quickly,” Lepine said. “It’s bad for satiation and bad for the transformation of nutrients.”

The Hapifork—and its partner the Hapispoon—pair Bluetooth technology with capacitive sensor to signal the amount of time between bites. In addition to vibrating to signal the diner is eating too fast, the utensils also pair with HapiLab’s iPhone app to monitor length of meals, length between bits and total number of bites. The app also tracks total food intake for the user.

“We created HapiLabs to help people take control of their happiness, health and fitness. Fifty percent of your health comes from what you eat. That’s where HapiFork comes in,” Fabrice Boutain, the CEO and founder of HapiLabs, told ABC News.

The handles of the HapiFork and HapiSpoon are removable to allow safe washing, and the rechargeable batteries last about two weeks with intensive use—longer with less eating. HapiLabs is planning a February Kickstarter campaign where backers can potentially receive the Hapi-set of utensils for a $99 pledge.

[Image via Hapilabs]