Forward Head Posture, Text Neck — most people don’t know about these very real conditions. The advent of the smartphone revolution brought these harbingers of chronic neck and back pain along for the ride, which is why maintaining proper posture even with all these devices floating around is more important than ever.
NAMU’s ALEX is a Bluetooth-connected personal posture coach designed to hang from the ears and sit behind the neck for optimal analysis.
A three-axis accelerometer and pivot sensor ensure accurate measurements are sent back to the companion smartphone app with which users can manage the frequency and intensity of alerts and track progress. Avatar Mode also allows for real-time posture management with an on-screen representation to make sure everything works smoothly.
ALEX boasts a seven-day battery life and up to four weeks of data storage, and can be had for $69. NAMU is looking for $50,000 by February 18th, 2016 to have ALEX shipped by May 2016.
Ideas like the standing desk and posture coaching devices have taken off because of the anxiety behind the long-term effects being slouched over creates. Lumo Lift made a name for itself in this regard, having designed a much lower profile posture coaching device that is pretty much similar to ALEX but that is clipped onto the shirt instead. How much of a difference that makes in the kind of data it generates remains to be seen, but one would think the neck is the best possible position for it — something NUMA is banking on.