Netflix may have revolutionized how we watch TV, but it's not stopping there.
Working again with Pittsburgh-based agency Deeplocal, the streaming company just released another do-it-yourself invention. This time, it's a pair of socks that detect when you've fallen asleep and pause your program so you don't miss out.
How do they work? Allow Netflix to explain:
We've based our sleep detection system on a popular method called actigraphy. An accelerometer detects when you've stopped moving for a prolonged period of time and triggers a signal to your TV that pauses Netflix. When it detects that you've dozed off, an LED light in the cuff of the sock flashes red, warning that the pause signal is about to be sent to your TV. Any motion will stop it from firing.
The accelerometer is very sensitive to little movements, so it's good at detecting when you're just sitting still, raptly watching Netflix, and when you've actually fallen asleep.
The socks are the perfect solution to a problem no one really talks about. And it would be great not to experience the shame that comes when Netflix asks, "Are you still watching?"
Putting the socks together involves a bit of knitting and electronics assembly. Step-by-step instructions are posted at makeit.netflix.com. Of course, Netflix cheekily suggests that "if knitting isn't your thing, you can always enlist the help of a knitting-savvy friend"—which you shouldn't have much trouble finding, given that yarn is ad land's new catnip—and that "to build the sensor, you'll need an understanding of electronics and microcontroller programming, and be comfortable around a soldering iron."
More pics below.
