Heart disease. High blood pressure. Diabetes. Osteoarthritis. Cancer. It's no secret that weight is a risk factor in these and many more degenerative diseases.
It's also no secret that achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can be a struggle.
If a person goes online for help in the quest for weight loss, free apps and sites abound. Some people choosing to change their eating habits turn to support programs such as Weight Watchers. Others turn to personal trainers for exercise and nutrition advice. While studies have indicated that groups do facilitate the reduction to and maintenance of a healthy weight, a person may be unable or unwilling to participate in one for a variety of reasons. Intuitive Automata offers an in-home alternative: a robotic coach named Autom.
Designed with simple lines to unobtrusively fit into the kitchen alongside other small appliances, Autom is made of white plastic and is about the size of a toaster. She has a head (similar to that of Rosie's on "The Jetsons") and blue eyes that can wink. On the front is a touch screen like the ones on tablets. The user can enter his or her daily food consumption, how he or she exercised, and mood. This information can be later reviewed in graph or chart form. Autom uses core algorithms to analyze the recorded data to discern what works and what doesn't according to the dieter's unique needs. This enables her to customize her pep talks and advice to the individual user in a soothing synthesized voice that has been compared to the one used by the newest generation of smart phones. Her messages are honest, but framed positively without judgment or scolding.
A controlled random medical study showed that dieters who used Autom stayed on track with greater ease than dieters keeping food and exercise diaries in paper notebooks or computer programs.
Autom is the first product to be released to the general public by Intuitive Automata. Even though brand new to the market, she's attracted a lot of attention. In 2011, Autom was highlighted in the LA Times, showcased in the Examiner, and named one of the 15 Most Awesome Products of the Future by the Huffington Post. The company was a finalist in the 2011 National Business Incubator Association's Incubator Awards. Also, they were the subject of a chapter in the book "The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices."
Intuitive Automata has other products in the development pipeline to assist in management of other chronic health issues. We can't wait!
Fran Jablway
and
Hulet Smith, OT
