"Phonekerchief" Blocks All Cell Signals

A silver-lined signal blocking handkerchief tunes out cell signals when wrapped around a mobile device to bring back people's attention to the here and now.

Published

3 months ago

Categories

Technology

Topics

Technology

People

Ingrid Zweifel

Transcript

Ladies and gentleman wrap up your phones and de-mobilize. A handkerchief for mobile phones blocks all cell signals to bring your attention back to the people around you. Fittingly named "Phonekerchief" its designer is Ingrid Zweifel who is based in Brooklyn, New York. SOUNDBITE: INGRID Zweifel, Product Designer and Inventor of 'Phonekerchief,' saying (English) "I actually talked to a woman who recently gotten on a date with a man who left his phone at home for her. And it was the ultimate gesture. And I think I realized at that point how powerful it is to turn your phone off for someone else. It means so much, it means that you are fully engaged with them, you are 100 percent focused, 100 percent there. And I think we're losing that today." To ensure that it blocks all radio frequencies the Phonekerchief is lined with silver. And to improve user friendliness Zweifel recently came up with a new design that she calls "Blokket" that will be sold at MoMA design stores. In a world where people are constantly connected by technology, turning off and tuning in might be the new way to show you care.