Whether you find yourself absentmindedly fidgeting with things while watching television or squeezing a stress ball while sitting in traffic and dealing with noisy children on an airplane, a fitness company called Tao Wellness has an idea on how to turn your restless energy into valuable exercise.

The innovation is called the Tao WellShell, and according to a report featuring the gadget on the PC Advisor website, the sensor puts theories of isometrics to work in helping you to develop and unorthodox fitness routine. Isometrics, which is the same principle theory behind yoga and pilates, and uses pressure to build strength. In other words, while using the Tao WellShell won’t necessarily cause you to break a sweat or get your heart rate racing like cardiovascular exercise would, it can still burn calories and provide valuable fitness building.

One look at the Tao Wellness website will show you that the WellShell looks a bit like a portable CD player or an external hard drive, sleek and small with a black, orange, and silver design that makes it look more like a mobile computing gadget than something to be used for exercise regimens. However, the device is designed to be squeezed, whether in your hand or between your knees, so as to contract muscles while in static positions.

The WellShell can be as simple or as complex as users want it to be. On one end, the device can function as little more than a high-tech incarnation of a stress ball. On the other hand, the WellShell – which weighs in at a slim 150 grams – is packed to the gills with state-of-the-art technology that allows it to facilitate much more complicated and interesting exercise concepts. Far from just being a pressure sensor, the Tao WellShell also includes a heart rate monitor, a GPS tracker, a gyroscope, and a three-axis accelerometer. All of that gadgetry can be used to control the WellShell by simply tapping or tipping it – as one would with a smartphone – or to track the success of a workout. For instance, the WellShell has an LED display that lets users see how many calories they’ve burned during any given workout.

Arguably the coolest aspect of the Tao WellShell is its Bluetooth connectivity, which allows users to link the device up to a smartphone or  other mobile device so that it can be used with a Tao Wellness application. The app allows more comprehensive tracking of exercise routines, as well as a few simple gaming options – such as skiing – that use the Tao WellShell as a controller.