Wink Glasses Remind Computer Users to Blink

By Clay Dillow Posted 07.30.2009 at 1:17 pm 8 Comments

Wink Glasses

Technology has replaced conscious memory in so many aspects of our lives, reminding us of our appointments or alerting us when our oil needs changing. But reminding us to blink? One Japanese company has developed a pair of glasses that does exactly that.

Developed by Japan's Masunaga Optical Manufacturing, Wink Glasses remind computer users to blink every so often to avoid eye strain. A sensor detects how long you go without blinking; after five seconds of staring blankly into the screen, the right lens fogs, obscuring your vision until you blink again. The glasses hold an eight hour charge, and even plug into a USB outlet for extra juice during those marathon WoW session.

Of course, at $150, Wink Glasses qualify as an investment. But until someone invents a device to remind you to quit playing computer games and go get a girlfriend, what else are you going to spend your money on?

[via Gizmodo, DVICE]

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8 Comments

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ultimatenerd22

07/30/09 at 7:26 pm

i should get some.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEUWrj7SyPk

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animemaster

07/31/09 at 10:54 am

I forget to blink sometimes when I'm reading. I think this is a bigger problem than your making it out to be, I know several people at school with similar issues. I hope I'm not being too racist but I think this effects my Asian friends more than the white friends. Personally I think its because were in a desert and they spent 20,000 years evolving in a more humid climate where your eyes can't dry out so easily. My Korean girlfriend is always putting in eye drops saying her eyes are dry, I suppose it could just be allergies though.

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animemaster

07/31/09 at 10:55 am

We need a report user//comment button for people like ultimatenerd22.

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hershko

08/02/09 at 12:07 pm

I think the Wink Glasses can help the general population with this kind of problem.
dordor77@netvision.net.il

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Malimalo

08/04/09 at 10:50 am

Well i guess robots are really getting more intelligent than humans, i mean who would have ever thought you'd need a reminder to blink?! Wow

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extremechiton

08/04/09 at 11:02 pm

pretty lame.

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quasi44

08/05/09 at 7:00 pm

what the article, or the company should open up with is that damage to our body is cumulative; and eye surgery advances aside, the best option for those of us who have to spend long periods in this harsh environment does not have to involve damaging ourselves. When they get marketing up, and maybe a little lighter on price, I will be buying them for me and mine. I can see these sold to schools now. Excellent product, and I'm wondering how I can make a program for my GUI to approximate this.

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