Change bad eating habits by playing. That’s what Fribourg-based start-up Neuria is proposing. This University of Fribourg spin-off has developed an innovative digital therapy aimed at the overweight Swiss population.
In a typical American restaurant setting, various foods scroll across the screen. Between a celery and a carrot, a French fry is suddenly added to the picture. The rule of “The Diner” is simple: the player must select healthy foods as quickly as possible, and hold back from unhealthy ones. Each success earns him resources to buy bonuses and increases the game’s difficulty, while mistakes reduce his life bar.
The result of research by a multi-disciplinary team of neuroscience experts from the University of Fribourg and professional video game developers, “The Diner” is actually a digital therapy that trains the brain to give up excessive consumption of unhealthy food for good. In Switzerland, the stakes are high: almost one in two people is overweight.
The Neuria team relies on a patented mechanism of action that gradually modulates the responses of the brain’s motivation and reward systems. Each time the player withholds his gesture in front of an unhealthy food in the game, he gradually diminishes its appeal in real life. If they don’t crave it as much, they don’t have to work as hard to stop eating it. Thanks to this effect, Neuria eliminates the need for discipline which is the main cause of failure in traditional diets.
“The Diner”, played on tablet and smartphone, is currently being offered to healthcare institutions as a therapeutic option. Neuria plans to develop future versions addressing alcohol consumption and smoking. The Fribourg-based start-up is supported by Fri Up in market development, marketing strategy and business organization.