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Medical experts advise us not to touch our faces to prevent potential COVID-19 infections from spreading from our hands to our face. Now a new concept smartband on Indiegogo aims to stop us touching our faces to minimise the chance of us catching the novel coronavirus.
San Francisco, CA-based Good Vibes was started by four fathers; Brig Ricks, Zac Hudeletnak, Jason Thibodeau, and Dorijan Jelinčić who wanted to protect their families from COVID-19.
One of the ways of transmitting the virus is by touching our eyes, nose, or mouth with hands that might have the virus on them. We tend to touch our faces up to 23 times per hour according to a study.
The Good Vibes team looked at available tools to help their families stop this automatic habit. Remedies such as wearing wool gloves, masks, or using mosquito nets, to prevent face-touching are not practical or comfortable.
The team wanted to prevent face-touching and developed Good Vibes whilst social distancing under stay-at-home orders in March. It is a smart band worn on the wrist, with a soft fabric clip-on badge with magnets worn on your collar.
The band vibrates if you bring your hand close to your face. The vibrations gently alert you to stop moving your hand before you touch your face and could help you keep COVID-19 and other pathogens on your hands out of your eyes, nose, and mouth.
The fabric clip on badge contains a magnet worn at the neck. The magnetic field is picked up by the wristband when in close proximity to the badge which will alert you when you subconsciously raise your hand to your face.
According to the founder of the campaign the Good Vibes smartband works straight out of the box. There is no calibration, no set up or accounts, no monthly subscription payments and no downloadable app.
The super Early Bird offer of $20 is affordable and a simple device designed to keep you healthy.
The Smart Vibes wristband is at concept stage at the moment on Indiegogo but expected to ship on June 2020.
Good Vibes co-founder, Brig Ricks, said: “We worked hard to make a device that would be simple, easy, and effective. In addition, the price point needed to be at a level where it is accessible to almost anyone. We want as many families as possible to be safe and healthy.”
Unless you have just washed your hands (and sang Happy Birthday twice), you could risk COVID-19 infection any time you touch your face. This smartband could help you in your efforts to reduce transmissions and infections.
The Good Vibes smartband is certainly worth considering if you want an extra layer of security in addition to washing your hands for 20 seconds. If tend to touch your face often without knowing you are doing so.
