Smart bracelet that shocks for laziness and bad habits

Smart bracelets from Xiaomi, Samsung and other well-known brands are quite functional devices. They know how to count steps, measure heart rate, calories burned, blood oxygen levels, and a bunch of other useful things. But all such gadgets only record data.

Another thing is a smart bracelet for the prevention of bad habits Pavlok. In this device it has a unique feature – it can generate electrical impulses, that is to beat the current carrier, if he does something wrong. For example, it will turn off the alarm and continue sleeping, or will not go through the required number of steps per day.

Pavlok monitors most of the bad habits on its own by the movements and gestures of the user. It can automatically electrocute when smoking, constantly pulling at hair, sedentary, or frequent social media visits. In case the gadget is not able to control something, it is possible to transfer remote control of the charge. For example, if you need to get rid of overeating, you open access to the application to your friends or family, and they can punish you from anywhere. 

The  third version of Pavlok has recently been released . In Russia, it is not officially sold anywhere, but you can order the gadget from the manufacturer’s official website . The base model will cost $ 190 . 

Power of the electric shocks can be adjusted from 50 to 450 . Judging by the reviews, in the most powerful mode, the pain is similar to an insect bite, and can last up to several minutes. The battery life of the device is 2-3 days.

And the story of creation

The creator of Pavlok is a San Francisco-based programmer and entrepreneur named Manish Sethi. In 2012, using a time management app, a man noticed that he was spending 50% of his working day, that is, almost 20 hours every week, just flipping through social networks and Reddit.

Sethi solved the problem radically: he hired a girl who watched his work process for $ 8 / hour. Every time Manish was distracted – the “assistant” literally gave him a slap in the face . The idea of a slap in the face Sethi took away from the show “How I Met Your Mother.” And she gave a cool result: instead of 40%, Manish began to spend 98% of his working time on real tasks, and became much more efficient.

Apparently, this prompted the American to create a bracelet. The first Pavlok model came out in 2014 and cost $ 250 , the second appeared in 2019 with a price of $ 180. The name “Pavlok” was taken in honor of the Soviet scientist Ivan Pavlov – the one who studied the reflexes of dogs using an electric current.