Remote Visual Break Reminders for Prolonged Display Viewing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Many individuals fail to take regular breaks from screen time, leading to eye strain and near-sightedness, despite awareness of the health risks, and existing reminders are often ignored.
Innovation Solution
A system that determines prolonged screen time and uses a connected device to render a visual distraction from a distant location, such as a lighting device or projection, to encourage breaks, optionally incorporating auditory and haptic effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reminder notification is displayed on the display screen, then users are reminded to take breaks, but users find it annoying and continue to ignore it
Solution Approach 1:
The reminder function is extracted from the display device and implemented through a separate remote device. The system determines that the user has been looking at the display too long, then controls a remote device (such as a smart speaker or projection device) to provide the break reminder, separating the reminder notification from the display screen itself.
Solution Approach 2:
A remote device acts as an intermediary between the display system and the user. Instead of the display directly notifying the user, the system uses a third-party device (smart speaker, projection device, or other connected device) to deliver the break reminder, changing the notification channel from visual to auditory or environmental.
2Productivity
If users continue to stare at the display, then work productivity is maintained, but eye strain and near-sightedness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic break reminders by monitoring user interaction with the display and triggering notifications at predetermined intervals or when usage exceeds threshold durations. This creates regular cycles of work and break, preventing continuous eye strain while maintaining overall productivity.
3Ease of operation
If a visual distraction is rendered on the display, then user attention is redirected, but the display notification becomes more annoying
Solution Approach 1:
The visual distraction function is extracted from the display device and implemented through a separate remote device. When the system determines the user needs a break, it controls a remote device (such as a projection device or smart speaker with display) to render the visual distraction, removing the annoying notification from the primary display while maintaining the attention-redirection effect.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is configured to determine whether a user has been looking at a display (15) longer than a predefined period of time, determine a first location of a device (14) which comprises the display, determine second locations of a plurality of further devices (31-33), select a further device (32) from the plurality of further devices based on the first location and the second locations, and control the selected further device to render a visual distraction if the user is determined to have been looking at the display longer than the predefined period of time.