hypnos

Module embedded inside users' laptop to "remind" them to take break and sleep

Background

I used to have a script that runs every couple hours to turn the computer off to remind me to take a break. However, that script can be easily bypassed and it's not cross-platform. Embedding hypnos into the motherboard of my laptop and enabling tamperproof protection in the BIOS for the case make it much harder to bypass.

Features

• Interact with device through phone app
  • Allow users' actions to be asynchronous, save and transmit their actions when the device is connected
  • Allow a limited number of exceptions through tokens per month: Allow users to select a time range that they don't want to be disturbed, the number of tokens needed are automatically calculated and applied
  • Waving sleep time as well as applying many tokens in the same day should cost more to prevent binge
  • Customizable work and break duration(there has to be an upper and lower limit though)
  • Limit amount of total screen time per day
  • Statistics for tracking progress
  • Foreground task to show device status as well as current phase
  • Synchronize with app to keep correct time, remind users to connect to device if they haven't for a long time
  • Indicate the current time stretch
  • Bed time and wake time
  • Battery indicator
• Flexibly adapt to user' start of day
• Hard to abuse or bypass but also possible to remove when truly necessary
• Low power consumption
• User has pending actions like changing rest interval
• Need corrective actions such as clock syncing
• Reset switch for resetting all settings(including BLE bonding information)
• Small size: About 1.5 x 1.5 inch

Custom GATT

The custom service is called the Timetable Service. Base and other UUIDs are taken here:

// base is f364adc9-b000-4042-ba50-05ca45bf8abc
#define UUID_SERVICE 0x1400

To store an hour:minute info, needs 11 bits(5 for hour, 6(least significant) for minute) for 24-hour format. All timing is stored that way except for the current time service.

All times are in GMT.

All would require authentication to read/write

Max of 4 exceptions can be active at one time

References

BLE Chips Power Consumption Picking Advertising Interval

Current Time Service