'Alex' posture coach vibrates to tell you when your head is straining forward
Now there's a wearable 'posture coach' that's worn round your neck
coach outlet online and vibrates to remind you to sit up straight. The device, called Alex (pictured), is designed to prevent 'text neck' which is when people drop their heads forward for long periods of time
This condition can result in a backwards curve that causes head, neck, shoulder and back pain.
The rectangular back device is designed to hook onto the ears so
coach factory website it sits on the nape of the neck, which the company behind the gadget said is a 'reliable location
official coach outlet online from which to indicate posture'.
'This means it can tell if you're looking too far down or if you're holding your head too far forward,' the company explained.
If a wearer is slouched forwards
coach outlet sale for more than a few minutes the device will vibrate to encourage the wearer to correct their posture.
This is possible thanks to a concealed vibration motor.
However, it won't detect hunching the shoulders forward, for example.
The company based in Seoul, South Korea, is raising money to
Coach.com put Alex into production on Kickstarter.
The intention is for the device to connect to a companion app for iPhone and Android handsets via Bluetooth connection, which will
cheap coach purses allow users to change the vibration intensity, for
coach factory store online example.
It will also let a user see their posture in real time using 'avatar' mode, and show weekly and daily posture progress graphs, for example, so wearers of the
coach factory online sale device can track their progress.
The device is available to pre order via Kickstarter from $49 (34) and has an estimated shipping date of May.
Alex isn't the first device that seeks to improve people's posture.
A gadget called UpRight was launched in 2014 to stop people slumping in their seat.
The device sticks to the lower back with a gentle
Coach Outlet Online Store hypoallergenic adhesive and uses sensors to detect bad posture,
Coach factory outlet website allowing it to vibrate when its user adopts a bad pose.
In 1999, a small 'iPosture' badge was launched to tackled bad posture, but few posture focused gadgets have caught on.
Its makers said: 'We found that existing wearable devices
coach factory outlet online are often overly complicated, inaccurate or inconvenient.'
Alex isn't the first device that seeks to
click here improve people's posture. It
coach handbags outlet is shown above. In 1999, a small 'iPosture' badge was launched to tackled bad posture, but few posture focused gadgets have caught on
THE DANGERS OF TEXT NECK: FROM BACK PAIN TO DEPRESSION
A recent study has found slumping to read a text can put undue pressure on the neck, leading to a sore back. This is because bending the neck increases the pressure put on the spine.
Bending the head at a 60 degree angle to look at a phone screen puts 60 lbs or 27kg worth of pressure on the cervical spine, the part of the spine above the shoulders, the study found.
At more than four stone in weight, that is heavier than the average seven year old.
The extra pressure put on the neck leads to early wear and tear and the
coach factory outlet online login person may eventually need surgery, experts said.
Led by Dr Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, researchers found the amount of force on the neck increases with the degree it is bent.
Tilting the head by 45 degree adds the force of 49lbs or
Coach Outlet Store Online 22kg to the neck, CBS news
coach factory outlet reports.
A 30 degree neck tilt equals 40lbs or 18kg, while a mere 15 degrees puts
coach outlet store online an extra 27lbs 12kg on the spine.
Slumping over a phone adds extra pressure on the cervical spine the
coach outlet store online part above the shoulders researchers found. Bending the head to a 60 degree
official coach factory outlet online angle (illustrated above) adds 60 lbs or more than four stone worth of pressure
Writing in the study, the researchers said: 'The weight seen by the spine dramatically
Coach Factory Outlet Store increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees.'
The loss of the 'natural curve' of the cervical spine leads to increased stress on the neck, they added.