Ever find yourself getting drowsy in public? Zap yourself back into productivity with this handy gadget.

If you’ve ever spent any time on a train in Japan, you’ll spot numerous people snoozing away on their neighbor’s shoulders. Likewise, if you’ve worked in a Japanese office you’ll doubtless catch some of your co-workers catching forty winks at their desk, and teachers in Japan are wearily used to the sight of their students passed out atop their textbooks.

Japan has the dubious honor of being the country with the lowest sleep rates, hence that common haze of drowsiness that seems to permeate the streets wherever you roam. But the company Global Asia Partners has concocted a device that can keep that muggy sleepiness at bay!

▼ The evocative promo image for the Drowse Buster lets you know exactly what’s at risk

The Drowse Buster is a wearable device that clips gently onto the earlobes, where it can dispense a low-voltage vibration. The key concept is one found in acupuncture, that the earlobes contain a pressure point linked to the eyes. Stimulating the earlobes through massage is said to stave off drowsiness, and through the electric vibrations you can now get that stimulation without taking your hands off of the steering wheel/pencil/heavy machinery!

The device can be charged for up to 120 hours of use with a Micro USB, and has three settings, so you can enjoy ninety seconds, three minutes or five minutes of stimulation at a variety of vibration strengths.

The device seems to be a resounding success on Amazon (where it can be ordered here for 4,980 yen [US$44]), earning a heap of five star reviews like this one:

“I bought the Dorwse Blaster [sic] to bust my post-lunch break drowsiness. It was really effective! I can’t really explain it well, but maybe you’ll get what I mean if I say it felt a bit like Pitou from Hunter X Hunter was messing around with my brains… Anyway, whether you get it or not, my sleepiness vanished and I was able to work with renewed vigor after my lunch break was over.”

▼ Presumably the reviewer is referring to this scene which kind of resembles acupuncture too, if you squint.

https://twitter.com/Bobby8Bit/status/965461443821821952

The taxi drivers of Japan might want to invest in a Drowse Buster of their own soon, before any more snap happy photographers come along. With drowsiness blamed as a major result in over 20,000 highway accidents every year, Global Asia Partners are to be commended for working on a solution!

Source: Autocar Japan via My Game News Flash, Amazon Japan
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Amazon Japan/Drowse Buster