Craving Checkpoint: An Interactive Fridge Lock for Mindful Eating

Xiaoman Yang, Jinyue Wang, Zijie Zhou, Ziang Liu

Track: Paper

Keywords: Embodied Interaction, Human–AI Collaboration, Behavior Change, Just-In-Time Intervention

TL;DR: Craving Checkpoint reimagines opening the fridge as a co-authored ritual with an embodied language model, using reflection, multisensory feedback, and playful rewards to gently shape healthier eating habits.

Abstract: Traditional dietary interventions often rely on restriction, tracking, or delayed reflection, which can limit their ability to foster lasting change. We present Craving Checkpoint, a Large Language Object (LLO) in the form of an interactive fridge lock designed as a Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention that supports mindful eating through embodied and emotionally expressive interaction. The system engages users at the moment of food access, prompting self-reflection through mood and hunger input and offering real-time feedback through an anthropomorphic voice and synesthetic lighting. A large language model personalizes suggestions based on user state and behavioral patterns, gently guiding healthier choices without enforcing control. By transforming food access into a shared ritual between human and machine, Craving Checkpoint explores how creative AI can support sustainable behavior change through timely, affective, and co-authored interventions.

Submission Number: 106