Dozing off can be fatal if you’re driving and you can get into a real fight with your partner as well. However, jokes apart; this dozing off is becoming a common problem since we all like to cut down on sleep to get more work done. Although a number of working individuals prefer smoking or taking a coffee to keep them up, the health risk associated with those is too high. This is where Vigo comes in. They have come up with a wearable energy gauge which will monitor your body movements and blinks while it is capable of nudging you when you are dozing off.
We have all read about the technology which is employed to monitor driver’s eye and alertness level. This particular energy gauge works on the same principle to alert us when our focus seems to be decreasing. However, it has a wider application area and can be applied to more everyday tasks. The device makes use of Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to its app on a smartphone and looks like a Bluetooth headset. It comes with a built in sensor (infrared), an accelerometer and the algorithm which will be able to record the alertness level by checking the blinks and body movements.
The gadget records a number of variables when you’re wearing it; how long did you keep your eyelids closed, eye lid closing and re-opening time. This data is sent to the app where it is processed. When the app detects that the user is dozing off, it nudges the user via the gadget. User can customize how and when she/he gets the nudge. The device can be customized to either vibrate or play a song. Users can also set it to light up the LED notifications light, depending on what the user chooses. The best part about this app is the fact that it keeps a record of your data and allows for the users to look at their attention pattern and therefore, plan activities accordingly.
The gadget weighs about 20 grams and comes with an ARM Cortex 16 MHz processor, infrared sensor, 6 axis accelerometer, Bluetooth 4.0 chip and a gyroscope. It employs the use of a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery that can provide power it for 3 days before it requires charging. Vigo is compatible with iOS and Android devices as long as they can support Bluetooth 4.0; however it is yet not available for purchase. A crowd funding campaign is being carried out with the pledge set at $59 and shipment planned in May 2014. Would you get one?
