Cory Kidd thinks he can help solve our obesity problem--with the help of a robot named Autom.

People have tried everything from acupuncture to hypnosis to compulsive teeth-brushing in order to shed a few pounds. Now, thanks to Cory Kidd, theres a new weight-loss tool at dieters disposal: robots.

Over the past 14 years, Cory Kidd has worked at the intersection of human health and robot design, first as a student at Georgia Tech and MIT, where he received a PhD in human-computer interaction, then as CEO of Intuitive Automata. His interests in psychology, health care, and robotics have all come together with his latest project, Autom, a robotic personal weight-loss coach that keeps track of how much you eat, your exercise habits, and your personal fitness goals.

Not much bigger than a toaster, and with a tablet-like interface for recording your progress, Autom talks to you in soothing Siri-like tones, offering words of motivation and advice. The core algorithm driving Automs conversations allows it to adapt to each individuals needs and habits, and adjust its daily pep talks accordingly. Autom also possesses expressive, blue eyes that even offer up the occasional wink. (The mere fact that the robot is able to wink without coming off as creepy is somewhat of a design miracle in itself.)

But while Autom is undeniably cute, is it worth the $199 price tag when there are countless free or affordable weight-loss apps and websites? Kidd says yes, and he's betting that consumers will agree.

Studies have shown that when people have the same interaction with a robot and a screen-based character, they remain engaged longer with the robot and find the information presented more informative and credible, Kidd said.

For Kidd, the lessons he learned in academia have gone on to inform nearly every stage of Automs development, from the design of its artificial intelligence to its charming outer shell.

Over the last decade, I have spent a lot of time conducting human-robot interaction studies and developing an understanding of how people respond to different features of robots. We combined that with the industrial design expertise of one of the other founding team members (Chief Design Officer) Erica Young, by studying product trends in home appliances and health care technology. As a result, Autom looks enough like an appliance to not look out of place in a kitchen (the obvious home base for a weight-loss robot) while possessing a handful of human-like traits to help it maintain a personal touch. Its certainly come a long way since the early prototype, a gnarled mess of wires and eyes.

The simplicity and cleanness of the robots design is perhaps its greatest strength, acting as a blank slate that may inspire any number of emotional reactions from the user. People project their own ideas about what a robot should look like onto it--Rosie from the Jetsons, Wall-E, or a retro '80s sci-fi robot. This tells me that we've done a good job balancing our own design with enough openness to allow for this projection.

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Cory Kidd's Saving The World From Obesity With An Army Of Cute Robots

Getting a grip

William Bisset

Mental adjustments are called for as William Bisset continues his weight loss challenge.

It's OK if you're wondering why I'm wearing a wig and pole dancing. I, too, struggle to comprehend why I get myself into these situations.

The video this week shows interviews with a scientist regarding essential fatty acids, a chat about life in general with Peta Mathias and gym and pole dancing experiences.

A week of beginnings:

Exercise: On Wednesday I went to the gym for my first workout. I was mildly horrified that I had to get up early enough to begin at 6.30am. Research indicates that you get better results exercising in the mornings. The rest of the day I felt fantastic, and I didn't feel sore because I stretched well. Last week's gym assessment measured me at 124 kilograms, with a body-fat ratio of 44 per cent. This is high, when ideally I should be between 25 to 29 per cent. The doctor and Performance Training both say I need to lose about 40kg.

It has been suggested to not lose weight too quickly it would seem 12 or more months should be enough time to safely reach my desired weight. As Justin from Performance Training said: "It has taken you a long time to put the weight on, so it will take some time to take off."

The way I figure it, 12 months will happen regardless of what I do now. March next year will come eventually, it may seem forever but it will come. I often reflect that if I started 12 months ago, I would be at my ideal health level now. So, a little mental-adjusting required and before I know it, I'm ridiculously good looking! For now, I will be going to the gym three times a week, and to supplement this I am exploring a range of activities that offer dynamics in my physical journey.

I plan to discuss what activities are available with local organisations like Sport Canterbury. I'm thinking sports like squash it's great exercise and I can have some fun at the same time. I will meet more people, which in turn will add to my journey "to a better life".

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Pole dancing to a 40kg weight loss

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

After researching the effects of two fat burners recently recommended by TVs Dr. Oz, Neutra Corp. (OTCBB: NTRR.OB - News) announced today that it will add both raspberry ketone and African mango to its all-natural Pure Plus Weight Loss supplement.

Both new ingredients fit Neutra Corp.s mission to provide powerful, natural remedies with no side effects or dependency risk. Raspberry ketone, an organic compound that produces the smell of raspberries, can help boost the efficiency of the metabolism by increasing the bodys core temperature, increasing the bodys ability to burn fat. African mango helps reduce appetite, burn fat, increase energy and regulate the efficiency of the hormone leptin.

Both ingredients have skyrocketed to popularity after being touted as miracle fat-burners on The Dr. Oz Show. By adding both to its new weight-loss formula, NTRR plans to produce the first supplement to boost the effectiveness of raspberry ketone and African mango by infusing them with Bio-Energy. In addition, NTRR will be able to offer consumers the benefits of both ingredients in one product, a huge savings over purchasing both separately.

By manipulating their subtle subatomic energy patterns, NTRR could potentially turbocharge raspberry ketone and African mangos organic fat-fighting power without using chemicals or additives. Boosting the fast, powerful effects described by Dr. Oz to his massive TV audience could help differentiate Pure Plus Weight Loss from its competitors on store shelves.

Neutra Corp. is developing new products to compete in the rising nutraceuticals industry alongside Qualsec Vitamin Spice (OTC:VTMS.PK),Nutraceutical International Corp.(NASDAQ:NUTR), Express Scripts, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESRX), andVitamin Shoppe(NYSE:VSI).

For more information on NTRRs nutraceuticals initiative, please visit http://www.neutracorp.com/investors.

Follow NTRR on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/neutracorp.

About Neutra Corp.

Neutra Corp.(www.neutracorp.com) is a healthy lifestyle company that specializes in the development and marketing ofnutritional supplements, nutrient boosters, herbal remedies and othernatural wellnesssolutions. The company is currently working to produce a full range of products to address every component of a healthy lifestyle, including muscle building, weight loss and general wellness through a daily nutrition regimen. For investing information and performance data, please visitwww.neutracorp.com/investors.

Originally posted here:
NTRR to Add Both Raspberry Ketone and African Mango to New Weight-Loss Supplement

AUSTIN, Texas, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Women over 40 can lose weight and feel great if they follow three principles of leading a holistic lifestyle plan custom-made for them by Austin Wellness Coach Justine SanFilippo.

"I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected. Does stress at your job or in your relationship cause you to overeat? Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising? As we work together, we will look at how all parts of your life affect your health as a whole," said SanFilippo, who received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the largest nutrition school in the world which counts Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Mark Hyman as faculty members.

"People ask me 'How do I lose weight?' My approach is not to dwell on what is good or bad about a person's diet. Instead, I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life and slowly change their diet in a way that is sustainable and rewarding," said SanFilippo, a nutrition coach who works primarily with women over 40 in the greater Austin metropolitan area. "I want women to never, ever have to go on a diet again. We will work together to create a lifestyle change that is easy for them to keep."

"Together we'll work to reach your health goals in areas such as losing weight, reducing food cravings, increasing sleep, and maximizing energy. As we work together, you'll develop a deeper understanding of the food and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health," said SanFilippo, who speaks about health and nutrition to corporate wellness groups.

Here are some concepts that weight loss coach SanFilippo explores woman over 40 years of age who want to lose inches and wonder why they can't find time to exercise.

Bio-individuality: The concept of bio-individuality is that each person has unique food and lifestyle needs. One person's food is another person's poison, and that's why fad diets tend to fail in the long run.

"Working on the principle of bio-individuality, I'll support you to make positive changes that are based on your unique needs, lifestyle, preferences, and ancestral background. I use a personalized, holistic approach to ensure that you will have great success," she said.

Primary Food: It's easy to overlook all of the things that contribute to our sense of nourishment and fulfillment. It's not just the food we eat, but all of the other factors present in our daily lives. Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and a spiritual awareness are essential forms of nourishment.

"When these 'primary foods' are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary. I will support you in achieving all of your goals, from eating the right foods for your body to living an inspired, fulfilling life," she said.

"I'll introduce you to some of the healthiest foods on the planet and teach you how to find what's healthiest for your unique body!" she said.

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Austin Fitness Coach Justine SanFilippo Offers Weight Loss Tips for Women Over 40

Got a success story of your own? Send it to us at success.stories@huffingtonpost.com and you could be featured on the site!

Name: Nancy Pettit Age: I'm a sizzling 63-years-old! Height: 5'6" Before Weight: 275 to 280 pounds

How I Gained It: Its not like I woke up one morning to suddenly find myself fat, frumpy and frazzled; Id been like that for a lifetime. As a kid, family meals were large and included home-baked bread, cookies and pie. I was a chubby grade-schooler with an insatiable appetite and seemed drawn to carbohydrates and fat.

Weight was a frequent topic with my mom and grandma. They talked about dieting regularly and yet all family members except my father were overweight or obese. My dieting career began in sixth grade when my mom and I started using candy-like caramels to be eaten with a cup of hot water or tea about half an hour before meals for appetite-suppression. I counted calories and spent summers at fat camp; once school resumed, I spent money earned babysitting on corn nuts or shoestring potatoes from the school vending machine and made frequent stops at the drug store for candy bars or a chocolate sundae from the Dairy Queen on my walk home from school.

I was mortified to be the heaviest girl in the classroom and was frequently nagged by my mom about my weight. She said things like "Fat girls don't danceBoys don't ask fat girls out on datesYoure going to have your picture taken so stand up straight and suck it inGet on the scale and lets see how much damage youve done.

Dieting and binging became my pattern; Id be "good for a while by skipping meals or only having liquid shakes, and then reward myself with candy and ice cream.

I did all kinds of fad diets. In anticipation of my wedding and the ensuing photographs, my mother told me about a clinic in town that offered diet shots with a 500 calorie diet plan. I was accustomed to dieting for special occasions and looked great in my size 12 wedding dress. After the honeymoon, I blew out of my trousseau and went right back to construction worker-sized servings!

Then I heard about a diet doctor who had a program using "rainbow pills" and started his regime. Each week I got four envelopes containing red, yellow, blue and green pills, each to be taken at various times of the day along with a very low calorie diet. I didn't feel well, but behaved around food and lost weight. When I was unable to continue to afford the pills, my weight rapidly returned.

Over the next two decades, my aunt and grandma paid for me to go to several dieting centers, but my pattern was predictable: get on a diet for a special occasion, get off the diet, repeat. We spent thousands of dollars for program fees, medication and diet food. In 1991, I talked my husband into enrolling in a diet program but once I reached my goal weight of 140 pounds, I celebrated by porking-out and couldnt get back in the diet groove.

For the next few years, I half-heartedly dieted with always the same results: I'd lose weight initially, then feel hungry and moody and become unable to sustain the diet long enough to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

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Weight Loss Success: Nancy Pettit Found A Diet Plan She Could Stick To And Lost 140 Pounds

Police across Europe have seized almost 300,000 doses of counterfeit anti-impotence and weight-loss medicines, highlighting the prevalence of fake drugs in the region.

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Tuesday that four people had been arrested in Spain and two in Britain following an international operation lasting several months.

The suspects appeared to have been importing the bogus medicines from Asia - mainly China and Singapore - and distributing them via the Internet to customers throughout Europe, officials said.

In Britain alone the haul included tablets worth around $183,000 dollars, including counterfeit versions of Pfizer's Viagra and Eli Lilly's Cialis, both used to treat erectile dysfunction, as well as the withdrawn anti-obesity drugs rimonabant and sibutramine.

The risk posed by counterfeit medicines - which may be laced with dangerous chemicals or contain the wrong amounts of active ingredients or else none at all - were thrown into the spotlight by the recent discovery of fake versions of Roche's Avastin in the United States.

That case shocked regulators and the pharmaceutical industry since it showed criminals moving into the business of faking complex injectable drugs.

The World Health Organization estimates that less than 1 percent of medicines available in the developed world are likely to be counterfeit. Globally, however, the figure is around 10 percent, while in some developing countries as much as a third of medicines are estimated to be bogus.

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Raids seize 300,000 doses of fake weight loss, ED drugs

Beyonce flaunted her slim post-baby body on Monday night in New York City for a fundraiser held by Michelle Obama for the President's re-election campaign, wearing a snug blue dress that showcased her weight loss.

Her appearance with a slimmed down figure comes just 10 weeks after giving birth to her daughter, baby Blue Ivy Carter, attending the event with husband Jay-Z, 42, mom Tina Knowles and mother-in-law Gloria Carter.

Beyonce, 30, was wearing a dress by Victoria Beckham, according to Yahoo Newsto the fundraiser at New York's Greenwich Hotel, pairing it with a long necklace, strapped heels and electric blue nail polish.

But how did she lose the baby weight and get that flat tummy back so quickly?

According to Star magazine, trainer Marco Borges has been living in her home where she exercises twice a day at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m.

"Beyonc and Marco are up at 5 a.m. for a two-hour workout, and they do it again at 5 p.m.," an unnamed source told Star. "They do a mix of cardio, Pilates, plyometrics, yoga and, of course, dance."

Beyonce has also complemented her strict workout regimen with a diet of "protein shakes, egg-white omelets, pineapple chunks, and lots of ice-cold water"

"Beyonc and Marco are up at 5 a.m. for a two-hour workout, and they do it again at 5 p.m.," the source told Star. "They do a mix of cardio, Pilates, plyometrics, yoga and, of course, dance."

In addition to the weight loss, Beyonce announced on Tuesday that she will hold her first post-baby performance during Memorial Day weekend in Atlantic City with a trio of concerts from May 25 to May 27.

"Brand new resort + Memorial Day Weekend + summer kickoff party + new live show = Beyonc getting back to business live on stage at Revel," the post on her website said. "Three exclusive shows with the unstoppable star at the brand new beachfront resort.'"

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Beyonce Weight Loss: Flaunts Slim Post-Baby Body at Obama Fundraiser [PHOTOS]

Arthritis Australia is calling on the federal government to double the number of visits that people suffering from osteoarthritis can make to dieticians and fitness instructors on the public purse.

The lobby group on Wednesday released a survey of general practitioners' attitudes to treating the disease.

It found that doctors believed lack of access to such specialists was a major barrier to improving care.

Under the chronic disease management scheme GPs can refer patients to five Medicare-funded visits a year with allied health professionals such as dieticians, exercise physiologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

But Arthritis Australia chief executive Ainslie Cahill says that's nowhere near enough.

"People with chronic conditions, and particularly arthritis, need more than five visits to be guided," she told reporters in Canberra.

"They need to be almost coached. It would have to be at least doubled (to 10)."

Arthritis researcher David Hunter says effective exercise and weight lose interventions "usually consist of anywhere in the order of 12 to 15 visits".

Professor Hunter, who works at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, argues too many doctors and patients believe osteoarthritis is an inevitable consequence of ageing.

"The key risk factors that we can modify that contribute to the disease getting worse and involving other joints are overweight and obesity," he said on Wednesday.

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Weight loss key to avoiding osteoarthritis