NASA's wearable device will warn you if you try to touch your face
NASA's wearable device will vibrate when a person's hands get too close their face
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In an effort to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cautioned people to avoid touching their faces.
Now, NASA has taken that one step further and created a wearable device to remind people to do so.
Known as the "Pulse," the wearable device will vibrate when a person's hands get too close to their face.
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When the wearer's hand approaches their face, a vibration motor and LED are triggered. (Credit: Lisa Harbottle)
"PULSE is a 3D-printed wearable device that pulses, or vibrates, when a person’s hand is nearing their face," NASA writes on its website. "The haptic feedback from a vibration motor simulates a nudge, reminding the wearer to avoid touching these entryways in order to reduce potential infection."
The open-source device requires a 3-D printer, and a number of different parts and files that can be found on NASA's website.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The government agency is not making PULSE available for sale. However, NASA said it hopes "individuals or companies will replicate, refine or enhance PULSE and make it easily available for distribution."
The PULSE is the latest open-sourced creation from NASA designed to aid against the coronavirus pandemic.
The PULSE Pendant (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
In April, the company created a ventilator for critically ill patients. The device, which costs significantly less than traditional ventilators, was granted emergency use approval by the Food and Drug Administration later that month.
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As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 10.36 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, more than 2.6 million of which are in the U.S., the most impacted country on the planet.