Virgin's KipstR Wearable Records Shows When You Fall Asleep

Virgin has revealed its own wearable, a wristband called KipstR created with the help of two teenagers: Jonathan Kingsley, age 14, and Ryan Oliver, age 15. Rather than tracking fitness, KipstR keeps tabs on whether the user is awake or asleep. If you fall asleep while wearing the device, it will trigger your TiVo to record whatever show you were watching when you fell asleep. The device and collaboration is said to be part of Virgin's 'Switched on Futures' initiative.

Virgin explains its device with an amusing usage example: Christmas television watching, something that it says involves 18-percent of people snoozing on the couch before their show is over. When that happens, and assuming you have a TiVo, it'll be recorded and others will feel less guilty about changing the channel.

The wearable isn't widely available, with Virgin instead deciding to present it under a trial. TiVo users interested in trying it out must register and fill out a short survey. Unfortunately, you won't be able to use the device this Christmas — by registering, you'll be updated and added to a trials list.

There aren't too many details on the wearable itself at this point, with Virgin saying it is 3D-printed and features a pulse-oximeter to detect sleep states. The trial run will take place some time next year, but no dates have been provided yet.

SOURCE: Virgin