Walk 12,000 Steps Earn Two Hours of TV

Here’s an innovative way to get kids exercising: no TV until they have walked 12,000 steps or roughly 5 -6 miles.

“The shoes - dubbed Square Eyes - contain an electronic pressure sensor and a tiny computer chip to record how many steps the wearer has taken in a day. A wireless transmitter passes the information to a receiver connected to a television, and this decides how much evening viewing time the wearer deserves, based on the day’s exertions. The design was inspired by a desire to combat the rapidly ballooning waistlines among British teenagers, says Gillian Swan, who developed Square Eyes as a final year design project at Brunel University in London, UK. “We looked at current issues and childhood obesity really stood out,” she told New Scientist. “And I wanted to tackle that with my design.”‘ Source: New Scientist

Alice’s Take: I can hear it now, “When I was your age I had to walk SIX MILES just to watch a TV show.” And of course, I can also see kids sitting outside pounding the shoe against the curb 12,000 times, which I guess you could say is also a form of exercise.