EyeForcer wants to force your kids to sit up straight
Face-worn wearable will shut off an Android device if they slouch.
The rise in smartphone use has created a new spinal condition that's called "tech neck," or "gameboy disease." All of that time hunched over our devices, shoulders forward, has caused people to develop serious spinal issues. Dr. Vahid Sahiholnasab is hoping to prevent a whole generation of tweens becoming incapable of looking upwards by developing EyeForcer, a wearable gadget that forces kids to maintain good posture. How can a gadget force good behavior in children? By threatening their play time if they don't behave.
EyeForcer looks like a dummy version of Google Glass, with a Bluetooth radio, accelerometer and battery tucked inside. Connect it to the companion app for Android devices and it'll begin detecting when the user begins to slouch. The first five times this happens, a small warning will pop up over the mobile app or video that they're watching. If the issue persists, and the app has to tell you a sixth time, then whatever you're doing will shut down and playtime is officially over. Canny children can't simply balance the device on a shelf, either — since Sahiholnasab claims that the built-in algorithms can tell the difference between being worn and not.
Unfortunately, it's not a product that you can pick up in the hope of curing your rugrats' future spinal issues. The firm, Medical Wearable Solutions, is here at CES in the hope of finding a partner that can buy the system and turn it into a hit with retailers. Should it be successful, then we might see this technology popping up for use at some point before the holiday season. When it reaches the market, we're hoping that one forces the under-16s to do their chores before they can get back to their epic Minecraft build.
