This wearable device collects health data from your ear

There are more options than ever if you’re in the market for a wearable fitness tracker that will encourage you to get off the couch and get active. But what if you really enjoy the couch? For those who want to get healthy minus all the physical fitness, researchers at the University of Alabama are working on a wearable device that instead helps track your diet and what you eat.

There are already a number of devices that allow people to keep track of what and how much they eat, in order to help themselves lose weight or maintain a better-balanced diet. Most of these gadgets, however, rely on the user to manually enter the data regarding each meal. The University of Alabama’s Dr. Edward Sazonov is working at taking user error/deceitfulness out of the equation, by developing a headset-style diet-tracking device that automatically monitors what its wearer eats. Known as the Automatic Ingestion Monitor (AIM), the 3D-printed prototype device is worn over one ear. Among other things, it incorporates a motion sensor, a tiny camera, and a Bluetooth transmitter.