Gizmodo: scales

Welcome Mat Humiliates Guests by Weighing Them

Mark Wilson — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:28:25 EST

"Happy holidays, Grandma! Ohh...well...this is awkward...but you appear to have gained too much weight in the last year to celebrate Christmas with your grandchildren." (Don't worry, it's just a gag...I think.) [curiosite via noquendanblogs via gearfuse via Unplggd]

BodyTrace Scale Offers Yet Another Way to Humiliate Yourself Online

Mark Wilson — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EDT

We thought the internet was a haven for fat dudes who liked to look at pretty girls without judgment or ridicule.

But now the BodyTrace scale, $120 this November, wants to publish your weight (~~via Wi-Fi we assume~~ via GSM, easy!) to their website. You can then share this very personal information, along with a daily food diary and interactive BMI chart, for "friends, family, or co-workers" to better "motivate" you—a public festival of humiliation that will only cost you $20 ever 3 months.

I don't know about you, but I'm just gonna post a shots of my second chin and third testicle to get the punishment out of the way. At least that won't cost me anything as my dignity has long been spent. [BodyTrace via CrunchGear]

Bathroom Pin Scale Makes Knowing Your Weight Twice as Painful

Sean Fallon — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:20:00 EDT

This bathroom scale by designer Jim Ruck takes a painful-looking approach to the simple act of weighing yourself in the morning. Instead of a platform, the users stands on thousands of pins.

Obviously, the tightly-packed pins mean that no real pain will be involved (outside of the trauma generated by the digital readout), but it would mean that your weight would be more evenly distributed across your feet. The concept is interesting, but it would be even better if it could mold to shapes like those desktop pin art gadgets from the 80's. That is, until your wife catches you trying to leave a print by weighing your ass. [Jim Ruck via Coolbuzz]

Wrist Watchscale, For When You Really Need to Weigh Small Stuff

Kit Eaton — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

The spoon-scales from a while back we called "perfect for dieters and dealers" because of the spoon part, but with this wristwatch scale... Well, it's just convenient for when you really, really need to weigh small quantities of stuff right then and there. Makers Jennings call it "The first Pocket WatchScale ever" and it measures in grams, ounces, Troy ounces and pennyweights, to a max of 10.5-ounces with 0.001-ounce accuracy. Strangely the one thing it doesn't seem to do is tell the time, but it's out now, for about $25. [Product page]

Apples or Oranges? This Smart Scale Can Tell the Difference

Jack Loftus — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EDT

I happen to love the automated checkout lines at the supermarket, but I hate the five or six seconds of my day that are wasted there when I have to manually input the name of the produce I'm weighing on the scale. Lucky for me, and for other lazy people who absolutely have to have those five seconds back, there's a new development in automated checkout scales that could revolutionize the supermarket industry. Here's a hint: It's like facial recognition, but for fruit!

The scale, developed by the German Fraunhofer Institute, works by snapping an image of the fruit or vegetable in question and comparing it to a produce database. If you're one of the Earth-hating people who needs their fruit wrapped in plastic bags, don't worry, because the scale's image processing can see through them. It can even differentiate between various pieces of fruit that are at different stages of ripeness (yellow versus green bananas, for example).

The 300 or so scales in the field now are being tested in Europe, with US plans taking shape for the near future. [I4U via OhGizmo]

Overall Health Balance Scale Measures Everything But Peen Size

AddyDugdale — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:30:00 EDT

Aimed, one guesses, at Japanese health obsessives, the Overall Health Balance Scale measures a person's health in six different ways: weight; BMI; subcutaneous fat ratio; organ fat level; muscle level; and basal metabolic rate. On top of that, it rates your health on a scale of one to five. Sounds to me like a version of amihotornot.com that you stand on. As well as checking your posture and balance, the Overall Health Balance Scale has got a screen-cum-scanner on a pull string, which semi-detaches from the unit. I think this is aimed perhaps at people so fat that the last time they saw their genitals the Berlin Wall was still standing—and sumo wrestlers. It hits the shelves in Japan on May 1, no price as yet. [Kilian-Nakamura]

Spoon With Built-In Scales, Perfect for Dieters and Dealers

Kit Eaton — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:05:32 EDT

This spoon, which looks like a prop from CSI, has built-in scales so you can scoop and check the amount all in one. Made of ABS plastic and stainless steel, it has an LCD screen, and an accuracy of 0.005 ounces. It also measures in metric or imperial and can keep track of added weights. Just make sure you use it for cooking ingredients, and not for measuring stuff that might get you a visit from CSI for real. Available for about $37. [Gadget Review via ProIdee, OhGizmo, GeekAlerts]

Scale Weighs You In With Celebs: Hope You're Not Mr. Ed

Charlie White — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:14:18 EDT

Weight is just a number, right? Not any more with the Celebrity Weighing Scale, eschewing numbers altogether and assigning you a celebrity that corresponds to your weight. Let's just hope you tip the scales closer to that of the Baby Jesus or Oliver Twist, rather than its higher end, comparing you to the likes of Mr. Ed or King Kong. You'll feel cool if you match up with Chuck Norris or Goldie Hawn.

Angry Associates also offers an icon-based scale, letting you weigh in to a corresponding chicken, goat, pig, or heaven forbid, a cow. Your choice, celebs or fauna for 35 (about ~~$60~~ $45). – Charlie White

Celebrity Weighing Scales [diet-blog]

Citizen Scale Measures Internal Organ Fat

Noah R — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 11:40:58 EST

There are two ways of looking at fat in America: either we are too obsessed with it, or not nearly obsessed enough. This lovely HM7000 scale from Citizen fits in the latter category. It not only measures fat, but the fat levels of your internal organs, basal metabolic rate, inner body age (say what?), amount of muscle and estimated bone density. Yes, but can I put my morning Twinkies on the scale and have it tell me exactly how much weight I will gain from eating them both in one bite? Well?

Personal data for up to 4 people can be registered. Available January 23 in Japan.

Product Page

More health and body fat scales [Amazon]