For many of us, checking our bank balances can result in a nasty shock if they have been unable to control their spending habits. Now a British company is hoping to turn this into a real physical sensation.

A wristband that delivers a 255 volt electric shock can now be linked to bank accounts, to send a shock when the user’s bank account reaches below a certain threshold. The wristband was first launched in 2014 by a U.S.-based company called Pavlok.

At first it was designed as a “personal coach on your wrist” and, to encourage the development of good habits and could even be used to help stop overeating.

Now British firm Intelligent Environments has launched a software that can link the wristband to people’s bank accounts.

The idea behind the shocking invention is that the two milliampere shock will condition wearers to develop and stick to good habits by associating the bad habits with the uncomfortable yet effective shock.

It could also be used to save heating bills, by working with smart meters and encouraging people to turn their thermostats down.

Chief executive David Webber said the idea was about consumer choice.

“This is about reacting to changes in your financial well-being,” he said. “Willpower is great if you’ve got it — not everybody has.”

However, Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert from Surrey University, told the BBC the more connections between devices, the greater risk of a security weakness.

“According to reports, the device can link to a customer’s bank account, which could leave the door open for cyber criminals to access bank details,” Liviu Itoafa, security researcher at Kaspersky Lab said.

对我们很多人来说，如果控制不了购物习惯，查看银行存款余额的时候就会目瞪口呆。

但是现在，一家英国公司希望把这种震惊转化成生理上的真实感觉。

现在，一款可传导255伏电击的手环可与银行账户绑定，一旦用户的银行存款下降到一定的额度，就会发射电击。

此款手环在2014年由一家叫做巴甫洛克的美国公司第一次推出。

起初，这款手环的设计思路是“手腕上的私人教练”，可以鼓励良好习惯的养成，甚至用于阻止暴饮暴食。

现在英国的智能环境公司推出了一款能够绑定手环和银行账户的软件。

发明利用电击，其背后的想法是，两毫安的电击虽不舒服，却可以有效改掉坏习惯，有利于佩戴者形成并坚持好习惯。

它还可以与智能电表合作，鼓励人们调低暖气温度，节省取暖费用。

首席执行官大卫•韦伯说，此想法是为了帮助消费者做选择。

他说：“这款设备旨在帮助人们应对财务变化。如果你意志力强当然好，但不是每个人都能控制自己。”

但是萨里大学网络安全专家艾伦•伍德沃德教授对BBC说，绑定的设备越多，安全风险越大。

卡巴斯基实验室安全研究员利维乌•依托亚法说，“据报道，这款手环可以和顾客的银行账户绑定，这也许为黑客盗取银行账户信息打开了大门。”(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【感觉】gǎnjué sensation a general feeling caused by something that happens to you, especially a feeling that you cannot describe exactly

    【起点】qǐdiǎn threshold any place or point of entering or beginning