Forget Coffee: Chinese Wristband Keeps You Awake with Mild Electric Shocks

It costs just over $100

Forget Coffee.. Chinese Wristband Keeps You Awake with Mild Electric Shocks

A Chinese company has developed a wristband that it claims wakes the wearer with mild electric shocks, eliminating the need for coffee as an alarm clock. The device, called the "eCoffee Energyband," sells for just over $100.

First launched in late 2023, the lightweight wristband contains two electrical plates that make contact with the wrist. WAT Medical, the Canadian company with a Chinese subsidiary that manufactures and markets the device, claims that the mild electrical signals emitted by the wristband can keep the wearer awake by stimulating nerves in the brain, according to a report in Wired magazine.

The effect is supposedly similar to a cup of coffee, without the risk of caffeine addiction. The only side effect, according to the company, is a tingling sensation in the hand, from the fingertips to the inside of the wrist. Therefore, the company advises against wearing the band for more than three hours a day, and users can switch wrists.

This device would likely have remained obscure had its manufacturer not recently attended a Chinese trade show, after which it suddenly gained popularity.

Xu Haoji, the company's operations manager, told the official Chinese news agency Xinhua at the trade show, "The purpose of inventing the eCoffee Energyband is not to replace coffee. Coffee is great, but it's not always suitable for the afternoon or evening. However, we still have a need to feel refreshed during those times."

The device has caused quite a stir online. It appears to have sold out on Chinese e-commerce sites, including JD.com and Taobao, with hundreds of mixed reviews from buyers. The device is sold and shipped to markets around the world. The website lists its regular price at $130, with a holiday promotion offering a 30% discount.

Social Media Reaction

But on Chinese social media, the bracelet was met with widespread ridicule and skepticism from users. The company markets the eCoffee device as a productivity booster, a tool for more studying and work. But this message struck a nerve with the Chinese public regarding the "996 culture," the local version of the work-crash culture.

The younger generation in China is increasingly averse to job burnout. Sarcastic online commentators have described the wristband as everything from a "portable electric chair" to a "human version of electronic dog collars" and "cattle whips," arguing that it benefits the management class at the expense of the working class. Much of the online criticism of the device concerns what it represents more than its actual effectiveness.

The Scientific Basis

The eCoffee website lists five research papers as evidence of the device's effectiveness, but in reality, these reports focus either on the theoretical effects of nerve stimulation or on experiments conducted using entirely different devices. 

“I think it would take some rigorous and systematic clinical studies to actually prove it,” said Omar Inan, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology with experience designing similar devices to stimulate wrist nerves.

“There are many challenges to this type of stimulation, and the specific concept of increasing cerebral blood flow and neurotransmitter levels really needs to be supported by evidence,” Inan added. The eCoffee website lists academic research, patents, and clinical trials, all of which paint a picture of a scientifically proven solution. But some of this evidence falls apart upon closer examination.