This Smart Belt Expands With Your Waistline As You Eat

Forget wearing stretchy pants to every family dinner: this smart belt, now in the test stage, will automatically loosen or tighten as you lose or gain weight, or even bloat temporarily  during a meal. It's even sensitive enough to slightly adjust for when you sit down and stand up. Belty, which first premiered at the most recent Consumer Electronics Show, is a smart belt that connects to your smartphone, and is designed to help you become aware of your own waistline.

It might sound as if Belty, designed by Emiota, a French company, would be promoting our indulgent culture. Did you consume too much at an all-you-can-eat buffet? Belty will make you forget your discomfort. But through its smartphone link, Belty is actually designed to cast a watchful eye on how much your waistline expands, and keeps track of your fitness activity while you're out and about — meaning that you can leave your fitness band at home.

According to CNET reporters who saw the device firsthand, the belt is actually pretty unflattering; it is said to look like the grating on a wearable stereo speaker. Although Emiota is confident in the future of their product, and of wearable tech in general, Belty is nowhere near ready for the consumer market yet.