Netflix Hack Day Includes Fitbit Sleep Detection Feature

Any Netflix user will know there are times you doze off mid-show or movie, leaving it to continue playing after you've stopped watching — an annoying reality that results in fast-forwarding through a show for the spot you fell asleep the next time you want to watch it. In the company's latest Hack Day, five Netflix engineers developed a solution.

Using Fitbit's fitness wearable, Netflix engineers Sam Horner, Rachel Nordman, Arlene Aficial, Sam Park, and Bogdan Ciuca developed an idea that will allow Netflix to detect when its viewer has fallen asleep, causing a "Sleep Bookmark" to be created, as well as a notification stating "Looks like you fell asleep!"

The next time the show is viewed, it can be started from the "Zz" sleep bookmark, picking up from the last spot you remember. A connected device would be required in order for the Fitbit to be connected with it, but as connected devices become more common, many consumers will meet the requirement.

While the Fitbit-based sleep detection feature is arguably the most interesting feature, a handful of others were also created, including custom playlists, "Netflix Beam", Radial (a much easier to use circular keyboard rather than the standard rectangular one), and a pin-protected profile.

It isn't known whether any of these "hacks" will make their way into the final product.

SOURCE: Netflix