December 17, 2015
Source/Netflix
Netflix invites you to build your own pair of high-tech socks to keep you from hogging bandwidth while sawing ZZZZZZZs.
Ever wish you had a pair of socks that could notice when you nod off while binge-watching "House of Cards" and hit the pause button?
Well, it's a thing.
Netflix this week published a DIY guide to help you fashion yourself a pair of these smart socks just in time for the holidays – a time of year busting out all over with binge-watching.
From theverge.com:
The socks use a method of rest and activity monitoring known as actigraphy. So a built-in accelerometer will wait for you to stop moving for a prolonged period of time before sending a signal to the TV to prevent you from losing your place in Mad Men for the 20th time. An LED light will blink beforehand, notifying anyone who may just be chilling very hard to move their foot if they're still awake and watching.
The "Part Socks. Part Clever" project requires a bit of know-how, though it's unclear which would present the thornier task: working with an accelerometer and Arduino microcontroller, or knitting the darn socks in the first place.
If that isn't daunting enough, Netflix teases with the thought of adding a heart pulse sensor to your super socks to provide greater accuracy in detecting sleep. We're thinking a especially scary horror flick might automatically invoke the fast-forward button, no?
The streaming video company invites its users to submit their own concepts for the next big idea to create the ultimate Netflix experience.
