Screenless ‘Substitute’ phone is a fidget spinner for smartphone addicts

You can mimic the act of scrolling, zooming or swiping, but without actually being immersed in the digital world

(Klemens Schillinger)

A ‘therapeutic’ phone-like handset has been created in order to help you cut down your smartphone use.

The Substitute Phone is a slab of plastic that, instead of a screen, has a number of marbles incorporated into it.

By touching them, you can mimic the act of scrolling, zooming or swiping, but without actually being immersed in the digital world.

It's essentially a fidget spinner specifically for smartphone addicts, and it was created by designer Klemens Schillinger.

“The shape of the Substitute Phone replicates an average smartphone, however, its functions are reduced to the movements we make hundreds of times on a daily basis,” he says.

“The object, which some of us describe as a prosthesis, is reduced to nothing but the motions. This calming limitation offers help for smartphone addicts to cope with withdrawal symptoms.”

A small range of Substitute Phones with different marble arrangements are listed on his website.

Horizontal formations, for instance, are designed to simulate swiping, vertical formations are designed to simulate scrolling and diagonal formations are designed to simulate pinching.

“More and more often one feels the urge to check their phone, even if you are not expecting a specific message or call. These observations inspired the idea of making a tool that would help stop this 'checking' behaviour,” Schillinger told Dezeen.

“Some of these finger movements – like zooming in, or moving up and down – were born with the smartphone.

“The Substitute Phones allow these movements to be felt by scrolling on the marbles that are integrated into the case, something which is a clear differentiation from fidget spinners or fidget cubes.”

Schillinger’s website doesn’t include any pricing information for Substitute Phones, but says they’re “coming soon”.