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Device pauses TV when user falls asleep

The Virgin Media-commissioned KipstR device pairs with the DVR to keep dozing TV watchers from missing their shows.

By Ben Hooper
The KipstR device measures a user's heart rate to determine when they have fallen asleep. Photo courtesy Virgin Media
The KipstR device measures a user's heart rate to determine when they have fallen asleep. Photo courtesy Virgin Media

LONDON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A pair of British teens have unveiled a prototype device designed to keep TV enthusiasts from missing their shows when they pass out in their armchairs.

The KipstR wristband, developed by Ryan Oliver, 15, and Jonathan Kingsley, 14, monitors the wearer's heart rate and activates the pause and record functions on the paired DVR device when the wearer drifts off into dreamland.

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Virgin Media, which commissioned the prototype device, said the wristband would be particularly beneficial to Christmas TV watchers, as the company said 1 in 5 people watching TV on the holiday are expected to fall asleep during a show.

Company officials said the device can also be used to measure emotional responses to TV programs and recommend shows to users based on their responses. Developers are also looking into how the device could be used to control other household items such as central heating.

The TV-pausing device is reminiscent of a system developed during a Netflix "hack day" earlier this year. The system used a Fitbit pulse-monitoring bracelet to detect when a user had fallen asleep and then paused what they were watching on the streaming service. Netflix said the hack is unlikely to ever make it to market.

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