Skip to main content

Hunching over screens is ruining your posture — this gizmo aims to fix that

FitNeck Video
There is a whole lot to love about today’s world of constant connectivity, in which the smartphones in our pockets are thousands of times more powerful than the computer that put a man on the moon. Something that is not so great? The fact that we spend so darn long staring at these screens
Recommended Videos
that it’s easy to ruin your posture.

A new product available on Kickstarter promises to help us fight that problem, however. Called FitNeck Pro, it’s a neck exercise device that is designed to correct forward head posture and neck pain caused by hunching over cell phones and laptops all day. It does this by strengthening the neck and back to pull the head back in line with shoulders, using a cervical retraction device with a resistance hinge to add extra intensity. The result, its creator claims, releases tension on the spinal cord to reduce pain and inflammation.

OK, so messing around with your neck with a gadget you bought on Kickstarter sounds like it’s a bit risky. But FitNeck’s creator James McNulty assures customers that it is based on a regularly employed exercise, created by physiotherapists, that consists of a chin tuck movement, using a towel or elastic band as resistance behind the head. The wall or chair-mounted FitNeck was developed in collaboration with industry professionals and athletes.

“After suffering for years with neck pain from sitting at my laptop all day, I finally went to the chiropractor, who sent me home with neck exercises doing the chin tuck,” McNulty told Digital Trends. “It worked well at first, but wasn’t very easy or convenient to do, so I thought to myself, ‘There has to be a better way.’ I couldn’t find any products online, so I began to develop my own.”

If you would like to get your hands (and, eventually, neck) on a FitNeck Pro, you can currently back its Kickstarter online. Prices start at $56 for a single unit, which McNulty says represents $66 off the eventual retail price. Shipping is set to take place in March. That’s just in time to start correcting your posture for summer!

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more
CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation
Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Read more
This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio
acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."

Read more