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Netflix Changes The Binge Game With A Crazy New Sock Invention

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 10:46 PST, Dec 17, 2015

Netflix has revolutionized how people watch television. Now it’s seen as a leisure activity that you can do during your own free time. The convenience of always being able to log into Netflix coupled with the term “binge-watching” really changed the atmosphere around television.

No longer do we talk about our favorite episode during a break at work. Instead, we’re treated to full seasons of shows to binge for hours. Instead of blocking our ears during lunch time while co-workers discuss the latest plot twist, we avoid social media. Netflix has changed the way we take in story arcs as well. Stories seem more fluid, and because of the amount of time one can spend watching a full season, the arcs are written more complex.

Now, the actual art of binge-watching is getting a huge helping hand. Long gone are the days where you binge watch too much, that you wind up falling asleep and wake up to find out that you missed three episodes. Now, according to E!, Netflix has come up with a way to help you binge-watch without missing a thing. Enter in the Netflix binge socks. These socks were designed to make sure that you never miss a second of your binge-watching goodness.

Netflix socks, featuring patterns of your favorite Netflix originals, are engineered to transmit a signal to your TV that you have fallen asleep. All you have to do is slip these babies on and you’re all set to watch your favorite Netflix content without having to worry about whether or not you’re going to miss anything with a few winks.

In Netflix’s words:

“We’ve based our sleep detection system on a popular method called actigraphy. An accelerometer detects when you’ve stopped moving for a prolonged period of time and triggers a signal to your TV that pauses Netflix. When it detects that you’ve dozed off, an LED light in the cuff of the sock flashes red, warning that the pause signal is about to be sent to your TV. Any motion will stop it from firing.”

The only catch is that you have to make these socks on your own, and won’t be able to buy them anywhere, unless someone decides to make a bunch and sell them on a vendor like Etsy. But either way, Netflix doesn’t get any of those proceeds.

If you can knit yourself a pair, Netflix will provide instructions on how to make your own, so it’s not like the service isn’t willing to help you out. It’s not as simple as just knitting. As Netflix states, you have to build your own sensor as well.

“Making Netflix socks from scratch means doing a little knitting and building some electronics. If knitting isn’t your thing, you can always enlist the help of a knitting-savvy friend or simply use socks you already own. To build the sensor, you’ll need an understanding of electronics and microcontroller programming, and be comfortable around a soldering iron.”

The advertisement for Netflix socks states:

“A bold idea made cozy. Because we all know what can happen. Episode 1 turns into episode 3, which turns into episode eight, which turns into sleeping through episode 10. Never miss a moment of your favorite shows. Make your own. Share your ideas.”

If you’re up for the challenge, go to makeit.netflix.com.

People are already losing it over these Netflix socks:

[Photo by Netflix]

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