A Group Of University Students Have Just Created An Innovative Device To Reduce Phone Addiction

From seeking information to communicating, our mobile phones come in handy to help us navigate our daily lives. If you are too dependent on your mobile phone thereby risking your health, then “Nettox” might just be a solution for you!

Created by a group of Indonesian university students, the purpose behind the “Nettox” watch is to help those battling with smartphone addiction. This wristband device assists phone users to minimise their screen time.

But, how is it possible?

The device contains a pulse oximeter sensor that measures haemoglobin oxygen levels and heart rate variability (HRV). According to several studies, our HRV levels are influenced by the amount of time we spent using our phones.

The longer we are on our phones, our HRV levels become lower. The “Nettox” is designed to detect the change in a user’s HRV level and emanates a high-pitch sound as a reminder for the user to put down their phone.

According to Irfan Budi Satria, the lead inventor of the device, the ideal HRV reading for individuals aged between 18 and 25 should be above 60. The idea to do something innovative to reduce mobile phone addiction came about after he conducted research on other health wrist prototypes such as the Xiaomi Mi Band.

Although Irfan and his team are currently working on improving the accuracy of the reading, he hopes that it will encourage users to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

“Our goal is to help the health-conscious. To help people who want to free themselves from Internet addiction,” said the university student as reported in Reuters.

This goes to show that while technology can assist us in remarkable ways, it should be used in moderation. After all, as the famous American bassist once said – “Technology should improve your life. Not become your life.”

Kudos to these Indonesian students on using their innovative skills for the benefit of society!

 

Featured image sourced from Tekno Tempo