Netflix MakeIt 2.0: The Socks
Wearable devices can help simplify your daily chores, get fit, remind you of everything happening in your world, and even track sleeping patterns. In early 2014 at a Netflix Hack Day event, we built on the idea of using a fitness band’s motion detection capabilities to control Netflix.
Everyone has been there. All cozy on the sofa, watching Netflix, and then you accidently fall asleep. When you wake up, Netflix is still playing and you have no idea how much you missed or where to go back to. The hack paused the video when a sleepy viewer (sporting a connected device) falls asleep during their favorite movie or TV show. When the device detected you had fallen asleep, it would send a signal to Netflix to pause your show, leave a marker at the point you fell asleep, and finally, turn off Netflix.
There are many ways to try and detect when someone dozes off. For the Netflix hack, we planned on using heart rate data, but did not have a device handy that had the capabilities. We ended up going with a fitness band with an accelerometer built in that could monitor when a person stopped moving for a prolonged period of time. The accuracy of sleep detection with the motion sensor was not to the level we wanted, but it was good enough for this fun hack concept.
Sleep detection based solely on motion data is not instantaneous, but we can rely on sleep patterns to predict sleep and the time when Netflix would need to pause. As someone falls asleep, they may still be moving early on in the sleep cycle, known as NREM sleep. As you fall deeper into your NREM sleep cycle, your heart rate drops and body temperature falls as your body repairs and regrows tissue. This is when movement reduces as you enter REM sleep.
Pausing of the video would happen early during NREM when a pattern of movement consistent with dozing off is detected. Once the viewer is at the stage of complete stillness for a prolonged period of time, the motion data can be analyzed to more precisely determine when the viewer fell asleep. Using this more accurate sleep metric, the stop point for the video is adjusted so that the next time the user resumes the video, it will start at the time right before they fell asleep.
People got pretty excited about the possibilities of what would happen next. That’s why we wanted to revisit the same hypothesis that many users have begged for, but this time, with a new twist. Socks.
Nice, comfy socks that you wear when watching your favorite binge-worthy show on Netflix. The fun part is that you can make a pair for yourself (knitting skills are optional). If you don’t consider yourself handy when it comes to electronics, or even a soldering veteran, this is a simple and fun project just in time for the holidays, and maybe great for the kids.
For more details and full instructions, please visit http://makeit.netflix.com/ on how to make your own pair of Netflix Socks.
Written by: Sam Horner, Bogdan Ciuca
