A new piece of wearable kit has been developed to stop people from overeating, with the Bite Counter looking to provide a remedy to the developed world’s obesity crisis.

The counter has been designed as a wristwatch to detect, count and display the number of bites its wearer takes each day, in a bid to prevent them from eating too much.

The device uses wrist-motion tracking to count bites and estimate calories, while an alarm buzzer can be set to allow users to be warned when they’re reaching their daily bite count.

Developed by researchers at South Carolina’s Clemson University, the Bite Counter can also be used to allow people to track their consumption levels over long periods, potentially leading to the creation of a log where they can detect when they’re eating the most and least, allowing for changes and plans to be made to manage weight.

Wearable devices to help weight management and allow people to think more logistically about monitoring eating habits could become an important facet in the fight against rising obesity levels.

Such is the size of the growing task of tackling obesity, some experts – including Health Club Management editor Kate Cracknell – have called for a change in approach, advocating a shift toward focusing on problems related to inactivity. In addition, a report released this week by the Institute of Economic Affairs concluded that inactivity, not obesity, is at the root of the UK’s health crisis.