It’s hard to track your spending these days. In the age of digital banking, carrying around cash is less common, so you don’t realize how much you’re spending. Two WeWork members have collaborated on a project to literally shock you into not breaking your budget.
An innovation and creative agency, 10X, and a wearable device maker, Pavlok, have a shockingly clever idea to address this problem. By partnering with 10X’s client Intelligent Environments, they created a system where shocks are administered automatically when people try to break the bank and go outside their budget. The shock-inducing bracelet, similar to the look and feel of a Fitbit or Jawbone watch, warns people if they’re swiping their credit cards or making online purchases too many times.
But don’t worry: the shocks are just meant to give a wake-up call.
The intensity is adjustable says Sims McGrath III, director of marketing at Pavlok. Set it at 10 percent and you might not even feel it. A little higher, and it’s like a tap on the wrist.
“If you get towards 100 percent, it feels like a pinch,” says McGrath, a WeWork Fort Point member. “It’s like in the winter—when you rub your feet on carpet and touch something metal, you get zapped.”
Hew Leith, CEO and founder of 10X, says he was thrilled when he realized Pavlok was a WeWork member. His team immediately got in touch with them to create a way for Pavlok’s technology to serve multiple purposes. One versatile function is using Pavlok’s module to connect to the Nest thermostat and turn down the heat when users are overspending on their heating bill, says Leith, a WeWork Devonshire Square member.
Wearable devices aren’t anything new. What makes Pavlok unique is it can work in tandem with other fitness trackers like Fitbit or Jawbone.
“We rely on other wearable devices to track information for us,” says McGrath. “And instead of being the tool that tells you what’s going on, we’re the tool that’ll change your behavior.”
Collaborating with Pavlok has been a seamless process for 10X, despite the distance between Boston and London.
“The team there was extremely helpful,” says Leith. “They even shipped the device over to the U.K. in record time for a hackathon which was happening in 48 hours.”
Other collaborations are in the pipeline for the agency. 10X plans to continue connecting with other WeWork members to help transform and shape their creative outputs.
“We’ve got some exciting projects coming up with other several WeWork members,” Leith says. “These are ‘world firsts’ that solve genuine problems. They’re top secret for now, but let’s just say the next one involves artificial intelligence.”