– Ever had a night out and everyone has just sat scrolling on their social media? Global beer brand HeinekenⓇ has found an ingenious solution
– ‘The Flipper’ phone case is a world-first prototype that flips your phone face down so you don’t get distracted by socials when you’re out socializing
– Inventor Simone Giertz collaborated with HeinekenⓇ to road-test the device in her own humorous way
HeinekenⓇ has created a prototype phone case that helps with a very modern problem: everyone being at the bar scrolling through their social media rather than talking to each other.
‘The Flipper’ quite literally flips your phone face down when it senses people are out having a good time through clever voice detection technology. The idea is that instead of being distracted by a barrage of notifications, people get #SocialOffSocials.
The witty device uses an AI-trained listening tool connected to a robotic arm to flip the phone nestled inside it when it senses the word ‘cheers’ – a universal sign you’re out having a good time in person.
The global beer brand launches the creation in a bid to demonstrate the issue of ‘Phubbing’ – being distracted by social media and snubbing the people you’re with. In fact, a recent study* showed that up to 47% of adults are ‘phubbers’, glued to their smartphones.
To promote the message of getting #SocialOffSocials, HeinekenⓇ recruited Swedish inventor and robotics enthusiast Simone Giertz to test The Flipper in her own idiosyncratic and humorous way.
‘The Flipper’ isn’t the first device HeinekenⓇ has created in its bid to tackle digital overload. Last year, the beer brand launched ‘The Boring Phone’ – a stylish phone that comes without all the features that make the modern smartphone so distracting. The devices became a sellout success, proving that social lives are more enriching when there’s less on your phone. In fact, they were so popular that HeinekenⓇ later launched ‘The Boring Mode’ – a way of turning any smartphone into a Boring Phone.
HeinekenⓇ also created ‘The Closer’, a high tech bottle opener that offered a funny response to our ‘always-on’ culture. When people used it to open a bottle of HeinekenⓇ, the bottle opener immediately shut down work applications – leaving you free to enjoy a beer without any annoying emails and notifications.
The ironic yet iconic Flipper is a prototype, but even those who can’t get their hands on one are encouraged to flip their phones the old fashioned way and avoid digital distractions. Cheers! #SocialOffSocials.
