Covid-19 Christmas sweater that ensures social distancing – it flashes and sounds alarm when people get too close
- Home security company SimpliSafe’s Social Distancing Sweater goes off when someone steps within six feet of the wearer
- It’s a playful way for people to protect themselves during this year’s holiday celebrations, company’s creative director says
American home security company SimpliSafe has unveiled a holiday sweater prototype that promotes social distancing by using alarms and flashing lights.
As the holiday season approaches and coronavirus cases continue to spike across the United States and other countries, more people have started considering whether it is safe or not to meet up with loved ones.
To tackle this problem, SimpliSafe designed the Social Distancing Sweater, which is rigged with motion sensors that set off the knitwear’s siren and flashing LED lights when someone steps within 6 feet (1.8 metres) of the sweater-wearer.
“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,” SimpliSafe creative director Wade Devers said. “It’s really meant to bring some lightheartedness to a time that’s otherwise proven very stressful.”
Inadvertently, SimpliSafe is also highlighting how unevenly the pain of the pandemic is spread through the retail industry.