Coronavirus Safety: Stop Touching Your Face With Help From This Gadget

Those who have difficulty stopping themselves from touching their faces amid the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus will find some help from this nifty little gadget.

The current coronavirus problem affects thousands or people in many countries around the world. Statistics website WorldOMeters reveals that there's been a total of 114,658 confirmed cases in 115 countries across the globe. COVID-19's viral nature necessitates the need to be careful, particularly to avoid getting infected by it and spreading it.

One of the ways people can protect themselves against the virus, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is by avoiding the urge to touch their faces. By resisting that urge to touch the eyes, nose and mouth, people just might be able to avoid getting infected by the virus altogether.

The thing is, many people aren't aware that they are already touching their faces because it's already become a habit. While some touch their eyes, nose and lips due to itchiness, many tend to touch their faces by sheer force of habit.

Those who want to overcome that and stop touching their faces can get some help from an interesting little wearable called the Immutouch. This wristband, developed by a Startup called Slightly Robot, will help the wearer stop himself from touching his face the moment he lifts his hand up by way of vibrations.

Immutouch was originally developed for people suffering from a disorder called “trichotillomania,” a condition that “compels people to pull out their hair,” TechCrunch reported. It works by sensing the wearer's hand movements, then vibrates or buzzes when the wearer's hand is raised to a certain level.

The device, which looks and measures like a typical fitness band, needs to be calibrated to know the height by which users will be able to touch certain parts of their faces. Once the device is calibrated and the height levels are set, it then uses sensors to detect the wearer's hand movements by up to 10 times per second.

If the Immutouch notices that the wearer's hand reaches a certain height, i.e. the height at which the hands are able to touch the eyes, nose or mouth, it will then buzz to deter the wearer from continuing. This will help particularly those who are used to touching their face on a regular basis, especially now that COVID-19 is wreaking havoc in many people's lives.

The Immutouch works with an app that helps users monitor their face-touching habits. It is now ready for shipping and can be purchased for $50 apiece. Users can buy two pieces and wear one on each wrist to increase its effectiveness.