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Pavlok shock bracelet aims to end bad habits

A Boston team on crowdfunding site IndieGoGo says their product, the Pavlok, uses electric shocks to help wearers change their bad habits.

By Ben Hooper
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BOSTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The Boston creator of Pavlok, an electric shock bracelet designed to help break bad habits, said he once hired a girl to slap him whenever he used Facebook.

Maneesh Sethi, head of the Pavlok team seeking funding on crowdfunding website IndieGoGo, said the product was inspired by the way he once boosted his productivity by hiring a girl from Craigslist to slap him in the face every time he got on Facebook while he was supposed to be writing for his blog.

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Sethi said the Pavlok can help others achieve similar goals as it can be programmed using a smartphone app to dole out an adjustable electric shock when the wearer commits forbidden acts such as hitting the snooze button, smoking or watching too much TV.

The actual Pavlok device is a small piece that can be worn on the bracelet or attached elsewhere on the body using an adhesive patch. The device communicates with the user's smartphone using the group's app, but the team said they designed the hardware to allow others to design their own Pavlok apps to help them achieve their goals.

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"Over 350 people have used the Pavlok app or system to form new habits," the team said on their IndieGoGo page.

The group said they are seeking funding to add new features and put the Pavlok into mass production.

As of Thursday, the team had raised $64,616, besting their original $50,000 goal, with 29 days left in the campaign.

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