Keep Your Heart Rate Up or This Watch Will Punish You with an Electric Shock

Tren Black’s FitBit-like device tases him if he doesn’t reach his optimal heart rate within four minutes.

Cameron Coward
4 years agoFitness / Sensors

Gym rats and fitness junkies notwithstanding, we all have trouble finding the motivation to exercise regularly and effectively. Even if you have the willpower to get some daily exercise, you may not be pushing yourself as much as you should. In order to get the most out of your workouts, you should keep your heart rate at the optimal level. According to Medical New Today, your heart rate should be between 50% and 70% of your maximum in order to burn as much fat as possible. Tren Black’s watch punishes him with a shock if he doesn’t achieve that heart rate.

Black was actually a bit of a gym rat himself, and was in very impressive shape before the world descended into chaos due to the coronavirus pandemic. After months of being unable to hit the gym, Black was starting to feel like he was losing his gains. He needed a way to exercise outside of the gym while still ensuring that he was getting in a good workout. Black is a fan of Michael Reeves, and found inspiration from Reeves' many projects that feature tasers, such as the beer mug that tases you if you don’t chug that Bud Light quickly enough. Black figured the same motivation would work for exercising.

To accomplish that, Black had to build a wearable device that could both monitor his heart rate and deliver an electric shock when necessary. There are many fitness trackers on the market that can handle the former, but Black decided to create his own using an Arduino Nano board and a heart rate sensor. The electrical shock comes from a TENS unit that is designed to treat pain by overwhelming the nervous system with electrical impulses. In this case, of course, it is being used for the opposite purpose. If Black doesn’t get his heart rate up to 120 beats per minute within four minutes, the Arduino will activate the TENS unit and shock him. It definitely isn’t pleasant, but it sure seems like it’d give him the motivation to exercise hard.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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