We’ll be hearing a lot more about the so-called “Internet of things” in 2015. But what good are all these intelligent, network-connected appliances in your home if you can’t (easily) control them?
\Fear not! A couple of teenagers at England’s Manchester Creative Studio have developed a wristband that tracks your pulse—so it can turn on your TiVo box when you nod off, (ensuring) that you don’t miss the rest of your show. The device can also trigger the TiVo to resume the program when it senses that you’ve woken up.
The students (built) what they call the KipstR with support from Virgin Media, as part of the company’s Switched on Futures initiative. Virgin Media customers will be able to try out the KipstR during the Christmas holiday.
Beyond guaranteeing that you don’t miss a moment of valuable television programming, such biometric gizmos someday might be able to sleep-control other (aspects) of your domestic Internet of things. Imagine the lights dimming and the thermostat lowering automatically when slip off to dreamland.
On second thought though, you might not want your Internet-enabled appliances to know when you are sleeping or know when you’re awake. It’s (creepy) enough that Santa Claus keeps track of your personal habits.
