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Tech Designer Makes “Third Eye” For Smartphone Users

Camera On Forehead

A tech designer has developed a “third eye” to help people who can’t take their eyes away from their phones when they are out and about.

Paeng Min-wook of South Korea made the device as a solution to modern life.

The mechanical eye is strapped to a person’s head. It has motion sensors that can detect when the user’s head has been lowered, like when they look at their phone.

When a person’s head is lowered and they come within one or two metres of an obstacle, the device sets off an alarm, alerting the user of the potential danger.

“This is the look of future mankind with three eyes. As we cannot take our eyes off from smartphones, the extra eye will be needed in future,” Min-wook told Reuters.

The device uses a gyro sensor to measure the oblique angle of the user’s neck. It also has an ultrasonic sensor to determine the distance between the user and another object.

These sensors are connected to an open-source single-board microcontroller and a battery pack.

The engineering postgraduate’s demo of the product received some perplexed looks.

But one Seoul resident believes it’s a good idea.

Lee Ok-jo said, “I thought he looked like an alien with an eye on his forehead. These days many young people can get into accidents while using their mobile phone. This would be good for them.”

Paeng hopes that his invention will be a warning to those who are constantly glued to their mobile devices.

“By presenting this satirical solution, I hope people would recognize the severity of their gadget addiction and look back at themselves,” he said.

But sadly some people can’t tear themselves away from their phones, and it can have a damaging impact on relationships with family.

In 2018, a second-grader at a school in Louisiana went viral after writing an essay about his mom’s phone usage.

The student’s teacher posted a picture of the assignment to Facebook.

The student wrote, “If I had to tell you what invention I don’t like I would say that I don’t like the phone. I don’t like the phone because my parent are on their phone every day. A phone is sometimes a really bad habit. I hate my mom’s phone and I wish she never had one. That is an invention I don’t like.”