The necklace that straightens your back

PosturAroma, the necklace that straightens your back. Designed by a team of students from the MediaLab of the University of Amsterdam, the necklace made with a 3D printer is able to detect the movement and angle of the wearer’s back. If the spine is tilted, with the shoulders down and with an incorrect posture, an internal device releases a scent, which reminds the person to stand up straight to assume a more self-confident and less harmful position. The idea comes from research which highlights how attackers look for distracted victims who look down or have a hunched gait while walking. Funded by Cisco, the American telecommunications technology giant, the project has a social value because on the one hand it investigates the connections between emotions and scents, there are 11 aromas tested including strawberry, lemongrass, cappuccino, neroli, mint, mandarin peel, alcohol, vanilla, apple and pheromones, on the other hand it brings a therapeutic benefit, and can positively influence women by improving their mood and self-esteem. Of course, the design must be improved and also the analysis of individual reactions to smells further deepened, perhaps in a natural environment, i.e. outside the laboratory and at night. But if jewelry has always represented a gratification and now more than ever also an expression of feelings, in the future it is possible that it may also be a tool to feel less vulnerable.