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19th Dec 2015

Netflix’s brilliant new invention will top your Christmas wishlist to Santa

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Paul Moore

Let’s be honest, most Netflix binging sessions are usually done when you’re feeling 1) really lazy, 2) hungover or 3) bored because the weather outside is crap.

That said, there’s nothing quite like a three-hour couch potato session and Netflix really has changed the way that people watch TV.

All of that TV and food though can usually leave you feeling a bit sleepy but the online streaming giant has just created the perfect solution.

Sleepy gif

They’ve somehow managed to design a pair of socks that detects when you’ve fallen asleep while watching TV!

The great thing is that these socks will actually pause your program so you don’t miss out.

It’s also a perfect solution to that moment of panic when the “Are you still watching?” screen pops up and you’re too lazy to search for the remote.

So how does this 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. 

Now these are a pair of socks that we wouldn’t mind getting for Christmas.