Crazily Cool Forehead Gadget Keeps You Out of Danger: The “Third Eye”
Who’s the Brain Behind This Weird Invention?
Paeng Min‑wook, 28, is a Seoul‑based industrial designer who’s been curious about how we all keep glued to our phones. He’s a postgraduate in innovation design at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College, and he calls his art installation “Phono Sapiens”.
The Device (or “Robot Brain‑Eye”) and How it Works
- An eye on the forehead that opens its translucent eyelid when you look down at your phone.
- Buzzes when you’re close to a wall or another obstacle—within 1–2 metres.
- Powered by a gyro sensor (to try and read your neck angle) and an ultrasonic sensor (to feel how far you’re marching toward a danger).
- All wired up to an open‑source single‑board microcontroller with a handy battery pack that keeps it going.
Why “The Third Eye”?
When Paeng demonstrated it around Seoul’s streets, the locals were like, “What kind of alien is that?” The device gives you that extra “eyeball” to keep you from walking straight into the next traffic light or pothole—perfect for those “smartphone zombies” who can’t look up even for a minute.
What’s Next?
Paeng is thinking about swooping in a camera module and a phone app link. He’s not planning to sell it yet (but he’s open to reversing that if the market calls for it). He says, “It’s super cool and interesting.”
What People Are Saying
Lee Ok‑jo, a city resident, remarked that the device made him look like an “alien with an eye on my forehead,” but he totalled that “a lot of young folks straight‑up buckle up if they’re on their iPhones. This could help.”
Shin Jae‑ik, 23, added, “We bump into people every time we scroll. I don’t need it right now, but if it ever came out, I’d be the first to grab it!”
