Don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to me!
With Christmas still going ahead with some relaxed rules, all we want is to feel close to our loved ones after a long year. But how close is too close? We’re not sure we can spend the entire festive period with a permanent two metre ruler attached to us. Luckily, there’s a novelty Christmas jumper to help you do just that.
Not many can resist a fun, festive jumper – especially one that has lights on, or sings a carol when you press Rudolph’s nose. The more festive and ostentatious the better. But this brand new Christmas jumper from SimpliSafe has a much more practical function.
The Home Security company has created a Christmas jumper prototype that encourages social distancing by using alarms and flashing lights. The Social Distancing Sweater is rigged with motion sensors that set off the knitwear’s siren and flashing LED lights when someone steps within six feet (or two metres) of the wearer.
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So, if a family member or friend comes in for a hug this Christmas, there will be a clear and direct warning to tell them to back off, without you having to say a word. Plus, those festive flashing lights means they’re less likely to take offence. “Heading into the holiday season, it became clear that the typical stressors and logistics of the holidays were going to be exacerbated this year,” SimpliSafe Creative Director Wade Devers said in a news statement.
“As the experts on protection, albeit home protection, we wanted to give people a playful way to protect themselves during this year’s holiday celebrations. It’s really meant to bring some lightheartedness to a time that’s otherwise proven very stressful,” said Devers.
Sadly, you can’t actually buy this social distancing Christmas jumper in the shops as it is just a prototype, but the creators are giving away a limited number of sweater replicas that feature the same unofficial six-foot measuring markers, but without the electronics and sensors, over on their website. The microsite will also feature DIY tech-install instructions, so if you happen to be experienced with electronics you can techify your very own festive apparel.
Just head online for instructions on how to upgrade the knitwear yourself with an alarm, lights, and sensors. But – to DIY the social distancing jumper at home you will need a speaker, 3D printed LED and sensor mounts, and an Adafruit FeatherWing music maker. So, just the usual items lying around in the house, then.
[Featured Image: SimpliSafe]