The Upright Go, Tamagotchi 2.019
5.2.2019
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Thomas Kunz
Are you hunched over your smartphone as you read this? Are you addicted to your laptop? In other words, are you a totally normal version 2.019 human? Then it might seem logical to combat your lifestyle-induced hunchback with technology. Step forward, the «Upright Go», the posture trainer that sits on your neck.
The idea alone is so beautifully consistent that I just had to try this gadget out. At a time when technology is increasingly dominating our lives and our bodies are slowly giving in under the weight of the many terabytes that we have to click, check and send, the thing that we need to fight bad posture is – what else? – yet more technology! This pledge garnered over a million dollars for the makers of the «Upright Go» on Kickstarter. A good start. There's no point in refusing to accept the future, but the question remains whether it works as well as the funny campaign video suggests.
The Tamagotchis are taking over
Out of the million-dollar campaign came a small white device that you can stick onto your neck. It looks like a shrunken Apple Magic Mouse and vibrates whenever you slump too much. It reminds me of Tamagotchis, the beeping plastic gizmos that we 90s kids were prepared to care for around the clock in the pre-mobile phone era. Feeding them, grooming them, looking after them. Those days are long gone. The relationship has now turned on its head. These Tamagotchis sit on your neck and make sure that you don't completely degenerate.
It's a crazy world, but hey, we'll let it go! Because, when I took it out of its black fabric case, the silicon surface of the Upright Go felt great. It weighs 12 whole grammes. I discovered a micro USB port, so it wasn't about to get its energy directly from my spinal cord.
On the back there's a space to attach adhesive strips to secure the device to your skin. Nine of them are included on delivery, along with six alcohol pads for cleaning them and a «removal tool», which looks like a plectrum. Each adhesive strip should last up to ten days, as long as it's cleaned after use. I excitedly connected the mini marvel to the mains while I downloaded the corresponding app. The Upright Go also saves data on the device, but without the app (Android / iOS) for analysis, it doesn't work. There's also a desktop version for Mac and an Apple Watch app has also been designed. I started up the Android version. Once I'd entered who I am (Michael, 38), my weight (68 kg) and what I think of my posture (so-so), I could get started.
Stick it up high
Alex helped me to find a good posture. Alex is Upright's very own physical therapist, who is always available to help via the app or e-mail later on. I learnt in the video peppered with cheerful whistling that my ears, shoulders and hips should be aligned. However, I should avoid strained overstretching. Right then. The next step was applying the Upright Go to my neck. I was relieved to find out that it can be placed anywhere on the upper back, so I didn't have to be a contortionist to position it correctly. As long as it sits vertically, it doesn't matter which way up it is.
I removed the protective film from the first adhesive strip and pressed the device onto my clean, dry skin. It worked. It stuck like nothing else had stuck to my neck before. I jiggled and fidgeted with it a bit because I didn't want to lose it on the first day of testing. Wearing an 89-franc gadget on my back and losing it would inevitably make me the subject of office banter. The device falling off unnoticed seems to have happened to a handful of customers, as some angered comments revealed. Others report having inadvertently taken a shower while wearing the Upright Go with no ill effects.
Are you in the green or red zone?
With the Upright Go on and your phone in your hand, it's time to get started. My Bluetooth connection was reliable. When the connection is made, the device has to be recalibrated before every use, either by pressing a button with one touch to your neck or via the app. The latter is much more preferable, as I have to keep my comfortable ideal posture. The Upright Go finishes calibrating with a gentle vibration, which is annoying at first, but you soon get used to it.
In training mode, the device vibrates whenever you lean too far forward. The tolerance level of your electronic disciplinarian depends on your chosen mode. It gives you minimal wiggle room for sitting and standing activities, a little more if you select «moderate activity» and you can properly shake your upper body in the third mode before the Upright Go makes itself felt. On the app, your posture is displayed using a little person, which moves with you in real time if you slouch. If you leave the «green zone», your person turns red. It's a cute concept. When I turn my phone sideways, I can make it do sit-ups.
If you change from training to tracking mode, the device stops giving you feedback via vibrations and just gives you stats on how long you've been upright and how long you've been slouching.
Training? Really?
I wore the Upright Go for a total of ten days, both at the office and in my free time. My automatic training plan started off with eight minutes of staying upright on the first day, increasing to three sets of 14 minutes on the tenth day. I refuse to call that training. The 'training' sessions at the office were a piece of cake. This is because I have a tendency to lean back into my swivel chair with limp shoulders rather than slouch with my face almost touching the screen. And the Upright Go doesn't have a problem with this. On the contrary, it gives me praise that I really don't deserve. The mini member of the posture police makes itself felt more often in my free time, vibrating if I do some vacuuming or rummage around in cupboards. With perfect posture, of course, but that doesn't matter to the device. It only knows my location in the room and grades my posture accordingly.
I wore the Upright Go for between two and seven hours a day and completely forgot about it. You really can't feel it. And when it's only tracking your posture rather than penalising it with vibrations, it quietly generates a final report. Purely from a statistical point of view, I could actually see positive development. While I only managed 65% of the first day in an upright posture, that figure climbed to a consistent 90% from the fifth day onwards. Maybe because I was thinking more about my posture. Now and then it caught me in the act and straightened me out – literally.
A futuristic, yet old-school disciplinarian
I doubt that I spent the whole time in a perfect ergonomic position. I'm a real fidget, constantly rocking and jigging and sliding around on my office chair. It's supposed to be good to keep changing your position. But the Upright Go is an old-school disciplinarian, even though it takes a futuristic approach. It likes postures bolt upright and still, but it does have blind spots. It doesn't notice when I move backwards or if my shoulders stray from their ideal position. For this reason, I take the stats with a pinch of salt.
What impressed me far more was how well the device stuck. One adhesive strip genuinely lasts all day without the need to clean it too intensively. I charged the device up in the evening, put it in its little case, then stuck it back on my neck again in the morning. Easy. I only changed the adhesive strips once. Not because it was necessary, but because I wanted to. It worked perfectly and didn't leave any residue. And there were no effects on my skin either – even with its collection of allergies and intolerances.
Verdict: not a total flop, but not for me.
The whole product is nicely made and does what it can: it records whether you are upright and alerts you when you lean forward. You have to do the rest yourself. If you love gadgets and are motivated by statistics, the Upright Go can be helpful. You'll automatically pay more attention to your posture. And – this is part of it – we humans are fundamentally different, bringing in our own requirements and varying degrees of self-discipline. I must have cheated too often. After all, I can't say I experienced noticeable muscle ache or other training after-effects, but community members buyout007 and jwssnr reported the opposite in their comments on the product.
I found that a posture trainer like the Blackroll Posture works better for me, moving my shoulders into the correct position rather than vibrating to tell me that they're in a bad one. If you can't or don't want to clip on something like that in public, the Upright Go is a good alternative for tech fans who are prepared to invest in new adhesive strips now and then. Let's go back to jwssnr from our community:
«Top tip: if the adhesive strip isn't holding very well anymore, I wouldn't go to the toilet with the device on your back... 🙂»
The Upright Go doesn't deserve to meet such a horrible end.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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