The Campaign

PLAY-TE supports the eating habit that protects us from diabetes. A pressure sensor inside carefully observes the way people eat, checking to see if we are fulfilling the“Vegetable First” recommended by the Diabetes Society, and if we are avoiding the“Speed Eating” that causes the rapid increase in the blood sugar level. The application saves and manages our daily food logs. An alert appears on the plate once it detects the inappropriate eating habits, telling people to eat in the proper and healthy way. We can also share our dietary data with our gym instructors/ family doctors and to ask for the proper guidance. Since the surface of the plate is covered with the electric paper, users can enjoy various kinds of beautiful designs. An optical illusion makes us perceive the meal on the dish much larger than it really is, helping us reduce the amount of food without realizing it.

Creative Execution

PLAY-TE is equipped with an electric paper, a three-point pressure sensor, and a Bluetooth. A pressure sensor measures the remaining amount of the food on the plate. By checking the order and speed of the change in the food weight, it supports us realize the healthy eating habit. Also, by being linked with smartphones using Bluetooth, PLAY-TE enables us to manage our daily food logs. On the Food Education Day (a memorial day in Japan) April 19th, we open the prototype to the public and start PR campaigns. We are planning to finish brushing up by the next spring and considering selling large quantities in early stage.

By using PLAY-TE, the time spent per bite increased and improved by 253.4%. 96.4% of the users started trying “Vege First”. 92.9% of the users answered that they are considering to change their bad eating habits (including overeating) after using PLAY-TE. The news about this PLAY-TE prototype became a hot topic worldwide..It was covered by over 60 medias such as Engadget, Yahoo, and more,telling numerous people the healthy eating habit as well as the importance of it

We referred to researches from universities and academic conferences in planning the concept of this development. According to the research by a national university, speed eating quadruple the risk of obesity (which can be the cause of diabetes), and is very difficult to correct by oneself. The Diabetes Society also reveals that “Vegetable First”, or to start our meal with vegetables, lowers our blood sugar level by 37% an hour after eating. Based on the researches above, we equipped PLAY-TE with an alert function and a data logging function to control the eating habits. By making it possible to share the dietary data with gym instructors/family doctors, PLAY-TE enables us to ask them for the proper guidance.