A while back we brought you some techniques on dealing with people who sleep on your shoulder during train, bus, or plane rides.  However, the problem wouldn’t exist if many of us weren’t train sleepers ourselves.  In Japan, you’re guaranteed to see at least one person sleeping if you ride the train after 6pm.

Even if a sleeper could avoid their fellow commuters they still run a high risk of hurting their own necks by sleeping upright.  Luckily an American company has come to everyone’s rescue with the UpRight Sleeper.  Now, if they can just convince people to wear the thing…

Let’s address everyone’s first concern right away.  If you think this makes you look stupid consider what people sleeping on the train normally look like: mouth agape with possible drool and head waving and wobbling like a heroin addict on a merry-go-round.

If the guy from Dawson’s Creek and the Mighty Ducks movies can do it in the picture above, so can you!

And even if you still feel self-conscious, it comes with an optional cover:

This way people will think you’re just one of those Burmese ladies with 20 brass rings around your neck.  The cover also doubles as a tote bag.

It works simply by strapping the device around your back and resting your chin in the frame.  The frame is completely bendable to fit any type of face and to fold up for easy storage.

It’s available for US$39.99 or $46.99 with the cover/bag, but I know people are still going to be hung up on superficial things like looking ridiculous.

And so I’d like to petition the government to enact a law requiring anyone who sleeps on the train to use one of these.  If someone is caught not using an UpRight Sleeper they must wear a giant iPhone head for the rest of their journey.

Source: SkyMall (English) via IT Media (Japanese)
Images: SkyMall


▼ Yeah, it looks weird from behind too.

▼ But it’s surprisingly portable!