A 12th grader in south-central Vietnam has created a device able to alert students when they happen to sit in a way that can negatively affect their health.

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Nguyen Duy Tam, a student from Class 12TL1 of Nguyen Hue High School in Phu Yen Province, said he came up with the idea when he saw his friends get scoliosis and myopia due to wrong sitting postures while studying. The device is a rectangular plastic box with two sensor “eyes,” a processor, an LCD screen, and a series of small LED lights. It also has some additional functions that can help the users with their studies. “The device can measure the distance between the table and the users’ eyes while they are studying,” Tam explained how his device works to prevent defects associated with schooling. “The allowable distance is around 30-70cm, depending on the users’ height.” “If the users stoop down toward the table and look too closely at their studying materials, which means they are sitting in a wrong posture, the LED light system on the device will turn from white to red immediately along with an alert sound,” Tam added. Moreover, the device can also interact with the table lamp. If the users sit the wrong way, the lamp will be turned off and the device will warn them, in Vietnamese, against that posture. Tam’s device also has a number of other functions, including reminding the users to take a rest every 45 minutes of working, providing information on the temperature, humidity, CO2, and oxygen concentration; measuring objects such as flagpoles and monuments by geometric algorithms; and others. Tam said that the idea of making the device came up when he was a 9th grader but he only managed to realize it last May. It took him around eight months to create the device the way it looks and works now. Duong Binh Luyen, an official at the Phu Yen Department of Education and Training, expressed his appreciation of Tam’s effort in creating the device. “This small, light-weight, multi-functional device is very useful for protecting students from common learning-related defects as well as helping them with their studying,” Luyen commented. “Besides, the cost of making the tool is not expensive, only around VND 1 million [US$47] each, if it is mass-produced,” he added.

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