Move over, Casio Databank (and similar) -- a formidable opponent just rolled into the ring. While the aforementioned timepiece has been the geek watch of choice for years now, Jennings' WatchScale is all set to give it a real run for the money. This wristwatch not only displays the time in brilliantly blue fashion, but it also weighs lightweight objects (up to 300-grams) with an accuracy of 0.1-grams. We know, you're already bracing for a quadruple-digit (pre-decimal) price tag, but there's no need for worry -- after all, you can procure your own for just $17.90.

[Thanks, Nate]

Giving mere mortals the power to monitor their own health at home isn't a shocking revelation, but LifeSource's new Wellness Connected family takes in-home status checking to another plateau. Three products in the line are being announced: the Wireless Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, Wireless Precision Scale, and Wireless Activity Monitor. The trifecta utilizes FitLinxx's proprietary wireless technology in order to link together and provide users with information on blood pressure, weight, and "activity" that can be logged and analyzed on a typical computer. Regrettably, no pricing information was mentioned, but we get the sense that this trio won't be coming without a noticeable premium.

[Via medGadget]

Okay, so we could pretty much figure out that JVC's breath sphere speaker wasn't exactly the roundest thing we'd ever seen, but we can't say we've really ever given much thought to how round / not round a round object really is. Thankfully, the scientists involved in the Avogadro Project do give it some thought, and they're toiling away as we speak in an attempt to create almost useless silicon balls which serve one simple purpose: to "redefine the kilogram in terms of magnetic fields and electrical forces." What does weight have to do with this? Currently, the kilogram is the "only remaining standard of measurement tied to a single physical object: a 120-year-old lump of platinum and iridium that sits in a vault outside of Paris, France." Trivial? A bit -- but don't tell that to the guys that weigh gold bars.

In an attempt to understand how humans react to having a robotic weight loss coach in their home versus simply using the software that the machine is loaded with, the imaginative folks at MIT have constructed a sociable robot that wants to see you reach your ideal weight. The robot uses internal cameras and face-tracking software to maintain eye contact with you while you attempt to fib about exactly how much exercise you've had, and the external touchscreen allows you to input data such as food / calorie consumption and duration of exercise. The creature is slated to hit the homes of select Bostonians as the designers begin to test its long-term effectiveness, but those looking for a glimpse of it in action should check out the video provided in the read link.

[Via TechDigest]

Satiety, Inc. has finally found the funding it needs to push forward with a radical new approach to assisting the obese, as it has rounded up $30 million in financing from a number of venture capitalists who dug the idea. Essentially, the TOGa procedure is a "completely transoral process designed to achieve similar weight loss to restrictive surgeries," and it also claims to be less invasive, require less recovery time, and should create a "dramatically reduced amount of complications." In this system, the physician would "introduce a stapling device transorally and create a restrictive pouch at the entry of the stomach," and moreover, it's considered "non-surgical" in nature, endoscopic, and can be performed by properly trained bariatric surgeons, general endoscopic surgeons, and gastroenterologists. Currently, the firm is moving forward with plans to get the procedure approved by the FDA, and while there's no telling how long such a convoluted process will take, stomach stapling could see an entirely different approach in the years to come if this proves effective.

[Via CNET]

For those of you still itching to get in on the Wii Sports exercise regimen, but are without any way to measure how many pounds you'll actually melt off, Sanrio's got you covered. Sure, you could waltz right into just about any retailer and pick up a vanilla scale, but the Hello Kitty body fat meter weighs your body in a whole new dimension of cute. Available in a trio of versions ranging from digital to analog to an actual "cooking" version, the device doesn't actually function any differently than the non-adorable varieties, but who wouldn't be motivated to shed a few pounds and have Hello Kitty smile back at you in celebration? The BF-071-KT scale (pictured) should be available in Japan soon for a price (¥6,000; $49) that only the passionate could appreciate.

[Via UberGizmo]

When it comes to shedding pounds, we've seen everything from doing it the Nike+iPod way, the Dance Dance Revolution way, and even the Wii way, but the big downer on all of those methods is they actually require hustle to yield results. Sousan Allami, owner of Sousan's Body & Skin Care Center in Houston, Texas, has what appears to be a miracle-working machine that can literally melt off a few pounds in just 60 non-grueling minutes. The Slim Machine subjects an individual to "powerful massaging suction over problem areas," followed by you getting all wrapped up in strange oils and gauze and laying in the cell for an hour. The machine utilizes "hydro fusion" to reportedly burn away around 2,000 calories per hour without putting the person in any sort of discomfort, and a tester was actually able to fit a bit better into her garb after taking a one hour ride in the weight dropping gizmo. Still, a local nutritionist noted that all the machine is doing is ridding your body of water weight, which will most likely return within 24 hours, but if you're desperate to fit into that tux or dress and only have an hour to spare, $150 can now buy your way in.

[Via Spluch]

Sure, we know there's swarms of you out there who'd take a few hours in The Slim Machine instead of being forced to run around your block or pump some iron, but here's a relatively fair compromise. The Wii Weights prototype is nothing more than your average strap-on wrist weight coated in white and stamped with that (likely trademarked) Wii logo, but let's face it, if you've got to burn the calories, you're better off doing so whilst playing Wii Sports. Ideally, the weights would range from one to four pounds, and should do some serious sculpting on your array of arm muscles if you make it a habit to game with these on. So if shedding nine pounds over the holidays training as a Wii athlete just wasn't encouragement enough for you to participate, just imagine the additional pounds that'll vanish (and the muscles that'll surface) when adding these bad boys into the mix.

[Via Crave]

Although Snowshoe, Winterplace, and Canaan Valley (to name a few) are just getting cranked for the winter ski rush, it seems like the locals are the last ones hitting the slopes and burnin' through the calories, but there's just no escaping the workouts if you attend a West Virginia public school. Following the first round of Dance Dance Revolution implementations in the school systems, the state has now announced intentions to stick with the program for awhile longer. Apparently, children who participated in the trials were able to maintain their weight and "saw a reduction in some risk factors for heart disease and diabetes," and now plans are to put DDR in every single public school statewide. Furthermore, children who hopped on the mats for a frenzied round or two ended up feeling "more comfortable" participating in other extracurricular activities, somewhat proving that video games don't breed killers. Nah, there's no word on whether the principal / teachers will be fiercely competing with the kiddos, but we're not holding our collective breath.

While some folks are struggling just to stay out of the hospital when getting too amped up playing their Wii, Mickey DeLorenzo, a 25-year-old living in Philadelphia, decided to meld exercise and gaming together and further substantiate the most obvious research study of the year. His Wii Sports Experiment started in December of last year and ran for six whole weeks, and while he sought to keep his eating habits constant, he devoted 30 minutes per day to Wii Sports and monitored his weight, BMI, calories burned per session, body fat percentage, heart rate, and physical soreness. Mickey started out at 182 pounds, and after a month and a half of Wii workouts, whittled his weight down to 172 pounds, which he found quite amazing considering that this was the first substantial loss he had attained in over two years, and he never even cut back on the Eat 'N Park cookies (or similar). Moreover, according to The American Council on Exercise, he went from the "acceptable" category to the "fitness" category, and seemed to gain a huge boost of self-esteem in the process. So if the Subway diet just doesn't mesh with your taste buds, and you're desperate to find an excuse to game it up instead of going for a jog, be sure to hit the read link for all the encouragement you'd ever need, and click on through for a bit of footage from the entire process.

[Via SMH]