MUMBAI:An interesting innovation in the US might just change the kids viewing patters in America. A final year student at the Brunel University has come about with a unique way of incetivising children to get kids to stay fit

The idea being the shoe dubbed through 'square eyes' which is linked to a base station, which transmits to the TV how much exercise the child has taken over the day, in terms of steps taken.
 

The base station inturn converts steps to TV time, hence in effect this specialised shoe will control the amount of TV the kids watch.

While one button on the shoe records the amount of steps taken by the child over the day, another transmits this information to a base station connected to the TV. Interestingly, the TV will automatically switch off once the time earned has expired.

The whole idea stems from the thought of children being exposed to varied television offerings and kid's channels. While a decade ago, children entertained themselves by playing outdoor games, now its the television that dictate their lives.

Square-eyes will be an endeavour to help children to include exercise in their daily routines from an early age.

Pedometers, which measure the number of steps taken are becoming popular, and it's hoped that the Square eyes shoes will have a similar appeal.

However, the target of the Shoes is a little higher than the recommended average on the pedometer, 12000 steps a day for girls and 15000 steps for boys, equating to a maximum of 2 hours TV time a day.
 
 
Obesity is on the increase in the UK. In 1995, 9.9 per cent of two to 10-year-olds were classified as obese. This figure further grew to 13.7 per cent in 2003.

Square-eyes will be showcased alongside the other work of Brunel graduates at the University's School of Engineering and Design next week.

This project is viewed as an excellent example of realising a concept and creating a wholly feasible future project.