It’s interesting to think about what people decide they need technology for.  I mean just thinking back to other things I’ve featured in the past… there are gadgets now to help you remember where you left your keys, and even things to help make it more enjoyable and comfortable to go to the bathroom.  Well, now, apparently, people need gadgets to help them remember to blink.

I know, it sounds ridiculous.  But think about it - most of us spend quite a few hours a day staring into a computer screen.  I’m sure most of it is spent working, but of course, there’s gaming, chatting… and zoning out watching a movie.  Under normal circumstances, we tend to blink about once every five seconds.  But, if you get bored, sleepy, or you lose your focus and concentration, your blink rate slows down.  That means you’ll blink less, and end up putting strain on your eyes.

And paradoxically, the flipside to that is when we get more focused and more energized, we actually tend to blink less as well.  This is something gamers probably know all too well.  I love to play Mario Kart, and I can tell you first hand - I literally forget to blink… and at the end of the race, I always end up with dry, tired, very strained eyes.

Well, like I said, there’s now a gadget out there designed to remind you to blink.  They’re called the Wink Glasses - and, as all wacky ideas seem to be, it’s made in Japan.  It’s a USB powered device, so you can plug it right into your computer to charge up.  The idea is it uses a sensor to see how often you’re blinking your eyes.  And if you don’t blink every five seconds, it will automatically fog up one of its lenses.  Supposedly, this will jolt you back into reality, or at least annoy you so you remember to blink.

This actually seems like a pretty neat idea to me.  It’s almost like a timer for when you’re supposed to take your pills.  A gentle reminder to do something to maintain your health.  This device could probably ward off the eyestrain we’re all just used to in everyday life now… plus boost productivity in the workplace.  I say all employers should offer their employees one pair each!

It’s reported a Japanese glasses manufacturer is planning to sell the Wink Glasses with their support frames for around 41,000 yen, which translates to about $430 bucks.  Japan’s so lucky.