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New Shoe Designed to Kick-Start Couch Potatoes

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the my-socks-say-I-can-watch-tv dept.

Terremoto writes "A student at west London's Brunel University has developed a shoe with a pedometer that controls the amount of time a TV will remain lit. If sufficient activity has not been achieved the TV remains uncooperative. The device is appropriately named, "Square-Eyes"."

3 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. This Shoe Helps Prevent Type II Diabetes in Kids by Rob+Carr · · Score: 3, Informative
    Type II diabetes is at epidemic levels in the United States, and those diabetics are doing a very poor job of treating their illness.

    The DPP study showed that exercise and diet were two critical ways to prevent diabetes. As it is, Type II diabetes is being seen in children, when a generation ago it was a disease of older people.

    Diabetes can be controlled, but it is still a life-threatening illness. I made the mistake of thinking that I was "too old to run." I became a diabetic as a result of that stupidity.

    This shoe may be a form of "pinhead responsibility," but pinhead responsibility is better than no responsibility whatsoever. If it enables parents to control TV and exercise in their children, then it will be useful.

    Is it a weak solution to the problem? Certainly. Can it be hacked by the child? More than likely. But at least it's a start. It sure beats kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, stroke, impotence, and death. It certainly beats the cost of all those little kids spending their lives as diabetics.

    Heck, it beats having to pass up deserts. Unless you are a diabetic, you have no idea how this disease sucks.

    Does it run Linux? I'm sure someone will find a way, and it might even improve the system!

    --
    This sig seemed like a good idea at the time....
  2. Re:Uh... by miskate · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, someone already did a study featuring exactly that a few years ago. I can't remember the details of the study, but what actually happened was that the kids stopped watching tv almost entirely and went outside to play instead.

  3. Re:Uh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Actually, it's been done, the local YMCA has some exercise bikes that you can watch TV, listen to music, or surf the internet(although on a touch screen, which makes it a pain to type)

    You enter your gender, age, and weight, and it cuts off if you go below a certain RPM.

    Can't rememeber what it was called, or I'm sure I could add a link. If anyone has heard of such a machine, please add one!