Iconic's Wake Up Call wants to help you stay awake, alone

We'll be straight with you: trusting something like this to keep you awake in serious situations seems like a bad idea. Iconic's "Wake Up" is apparently a plastic "thingie" that you wear behind your ear somewhat in the style of a hearing aid, which then vibrates if you slouch over -- the assumption being that you've passed out in the midst of doing something important. We're pretty sure that a lot of people can totally fall asleep anytime, anywhere, without even closing their eyes, let alone slumping over dramatically enough for this iPosture clone to catch wind of it. Regardless, we doubt the "Wake Up" functions as advertised, but it's worth a shot if Krueger's breathing down your neck, and probably worth the $17.65 asking price.

[Flaystus @ Dec 31st 2008 10:48AM]

Bet it works if you wear like 10 of them.

[Brent1700 @ Dec 31st 2008 10:51AM]

lmao a "thingie" idk y i think this is so funny

[Brad Mecoli @ Dec 31st 2008 2:02PM]

Please stop raping the English language. Thank you.

[rich.brome @ Dec 31st 2008 10:52AM]

These are not new. I remember my dad using one of these at least 15 years ago. This helped him not fall asleep at the wheel.

[David @ Dec 31st 2008 11:17AM]

I live in South Korea, these have be around for a long time. This isn't news...

[Pasukin @ Dec 31st 2008 10:53AM]

This is nothing new. They've had devices like this since the 80's. I remember seeing them in the mail order catalogs that used to arrive at my house when I was a kid.

Other versions:

http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/anti-sleep-driving-alarm/
http://www.drivingcomfort.com/doze-alert.cfm

[MarbleMind @ Dec 31st 2008 10:57AM]

Ah, the bliss of being able to fall asleep during the day. Something I'll never know :(

[Darkp @ Dec 31st 2008 10:59AM]

Who need something like that?

[MarbleMind @ Dec 31st 2008 11:03AM]

Isomniac motorists? Students? Overworked workers (yeah, okay)? Anyone who doesn't want his head to audibly thud onto the surface in front of him in delicate situations?

[WL @ Dec 31st 2008 11:06AM]

Might be good for working at a desk or studying all night, or a boring lecture.

[Knee to the Groin @ Dec 31st 2008 10:25PM]

Jury duty...


But only after your eyeball-glasses are confiscated

/end Homer reference

[Puntachu @ Dec 31st 2008 11:10AM]

Hurray for the nightmare reference...

I think I'll stick with my regular regiment of caffeine. My awful posture would trigger all kinds of false alarms.

[surly @ Jan 1st 2009 7:59PM]

the Krueger reference is hilarious. i actually laughed out loud at that one.

[BladeSling @ Dec 31st 2008 11:32AM]

Is anyone thing this is the cheap version of the iPosture? It vibrates when you are bent wrong?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/05/iposture-reviewed-aint-no-slouch/

[BladeSling @ Dec 31st 2008 11:34AM]

wow... dear god... next time read the fine blue link....

I'm sorry... soo sorry...

[Precurse @ Dec 31st 2008 11:34AM]

Neat idea... But I've always wanted to see a similar device, but one that sends a little SHOCK instead.. If you wake up to a little noise, you can be sure to fall asleep again if you're in that zone. Send a shock to the sleeper instead, and they usually get an adrenaline rush going which seems to last a lot longer IMO.

[Baby-G @ Dec 31st 2008 11:54AM]

WOW this thing does appeal to me very much. I am in the navy and while training to become a hospital corpsman your sitting in class from 5 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. With maybe a 50 minute lunch. The only thing that saved me from getting yelled at all the time, was the overcharged Redbulls ($2.50 each). If i had this thing i would have been allot better off. Imagine sitting in the same seat for hours, and hours on end and if you slept then you got chewed out. Corps school was 3 months of hell, but it was worth it.

[jupiterthunder @ Dec 31st 2008 12:12PM]

I woke up black this morning. Freaked me out. Then I remembered, I've been black all my life. Now, if I wake up pink tomorrow, that will be frightening.

[Jim @ Dec 31st 2008 12:37PM]

I have seen these type of items lots.
They work really good.... you have 45 minute train ride to work but are still really sleepy... set the (silent to everyone else) alarm and have a quick snooze on the train.
Most of the time I have seen these types of items in action is on the way home on the transit system - the young lovely ladies appear to get on and go to sleep and are magically jolted away just before their stop.

[Tim @ Dec 31st 2008 1:29PM]

When I first saw this I thought I was looking at an IUD (intra-uterine device).

[crow610 @ Dec 31st 2008 2:08PM]

i'll buy it only if it sings " wake me up before you go go"

[warriorpear @ Dec 31st 2008 2:23PM]

sweet, it will also allow me to hang my car keys off of my ear as well.

[cpak @ Jan 2nd 2009 12:43AM]

I actually bought a 5 dollar version of this in Korea.
My version has a flashlight on it.
Korea has some very hardcore students that study nonstop, day and night. It's probably a life-saver that they have something to keep them up.
Also it's meant for driving so you don't fall asleep on those late night marathons.
Meant for gamers too on those long WOW marathons haha

[Shane @ Jan 2nd 2009 9:11PM]

if you've been to japan, you've surely noticed the thousands of commuters who can fall asleep instantly on the trains, and then wake up again right before their stop. Its uncanny.