My colleague, Eddie Jimenez, wrote in his column Monday about the challenge of sitting down to family meals together in this busy age of music lessons, volunteer work, church activities and ballgames. Well, technology may soon help us gather the family and even include the extended family in the equation.

The consulting firm Accenture is developing the virtual family dinner, which will allow family members to chow down together regardless of where they are, according to an article in AARP margazine. Sally Abrahms writes that a small, ceiling-mounted camera is already monitoring Accenture's Chicago test kitchen, tracking a test mom as she prepares a meal. When the system sees her bring dishes to the table, that's a cue that she's ready for company.

Up pops a screen on the wall or at the end of the the dining table and a computer automatically looks up a directory of extended family members, finds someone who might be available to chat and projects that person's life-size image on the screen. Within three to five years, even the college kids should be able to join the family for Sunday dinner direct from their dorm rooms.