A Chrome extension that helps you blink more, rest your eyes, and reduce digital eye strain.
When we stare at screens, our natural blink rate drops from about 15–20 blinks/minute to as low as 5–7 blinks/minute. This reduced blinking leads to dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and digital eye strain, especially for:
- Students and remote workers with long screen hours
- Neurodivergent users who hyperfocus
- Low-vision users who rely heavily on screens
- Anyone working in front of a monitor for extended periods
Most people don’t notice when they stop blinking — so they can’t correct it.
Blinky Angel is a small, friendly Chrome extension that runs alongside your browser, helps you maintain healthy blinking habits, and gently nudges you to follow the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds).
- Uses webcam + TensorFlow.js to estimate your blink rate in real time
- Gently reminds you to blink if your blink rate stays low for a period of time
- Supports different reminder modes: Strict, Balanced, and Gentle
- Automatically applies the 20-20-20 rule:
- Every 20 minutes, it prompts you to look away for 20 seconds
- Shows a small on-screen character (“Blinky Angel”) that:
- Appears at the edge of your screen
- Animates to get your attention when it’s time to blink or take a break
All processing is done on-device in your browser. No images or data are sent to a server.
- Chrome Extension (Manifest V3)
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- TensorFlow.js (via CDN) for real-time image/eye analysis
- Basic timers + state stored locally (Chrome storage or in-memory)
Follow these steps to download and run Blinky Angel on your own computer.
Open your terminal and run:
git clone https://github.com/sonya-q/blinky-angel.git
Then go into the project folder:
cd blinky-angelIf you downloaded a ZIP file instead of using git clone, just unzip it and remember the folder location.
Load as an Unpacked Chrome Extension
Open Google Chrome.
Go to:
chrome://extensions/Turn on Developer mode (toggle in the top-right corner).
Click “Load unpacked”.
In the file picker, select and open the folder "blinky-angel" from wherever you saved it.
You should now see “Blinky Angel” appear in your list of extensions.
Make sure the extension is enabled (toggle in chrome://extensions is on).
Pin it for easy access:
Click the puzzle piece icon (Extensions) beside the Chrome address bar
Click the pin icon next to Blinky Angel
When you start using it for the first time:
The extension may ask for camera access (for blink detection)
Click “Allow” so TensorFlow.js can analyze your eyes in real time
Once enabled, the extension will:
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Inject a small Blinky Angel widget into your active tabs
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Start monitoring your blinking (when you have the browser focused)
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Gently remind you to blink and follow the 20-20-20 rule
- Webcam Stream
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The extension requests permission to use your webcam
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Frames are processed directly in your browser
- TensorFlow.js Model
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TensorFlow.js (loaded via CDN) runs a pre-trained model
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It detects your face/eyes and outputs facial landmark positions
- Blink Detection Logic
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From the eye landmarks, we compute an eye aspect ratio (EAR)
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When EAR drops briefly below a threshold → we count a blink
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We track blinks over time to estimate blinks per minute
- Health Logic & Reminders
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If blink rate stays too low for too long, Blinky Angel appears and reminds you to blink
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Every 20 minutes, it triggers the 20-20-20 reminder
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Different modes adjust how frequently reminders appear
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All of this happens locally in your browser tab.
Video frames are processed locally in your browser using TensorFlow.js
No images, video, or blink data are sent to any external servers
This extension is designed as a wellness tool, not a data collection tool
Ariel Liu, Sonya Cheng Qu