Sleep

Demonstrated during this month's International Robot Exhibition (IREX) in Tokyo, Jukusui-Kun is a polar bear-shaped robotic pillow that, like Paro the seal-bot, masks a serious purpose beneath its cute and cuddly exterior. Jukusui-Kun is designed to help snorers and those who live with them - whenever snoring becomes too loud (and sleep apnea becomes a danger), the robot raises its paw and gently touches the sleeper's face to trigger a change of sleeping position. Read More

Have you ever noticed how your alarm clock sometimes wakes you up in a much more jarring fashion than usual? That’s because on those occasions, you happen to be in one of the deeper states of sleep when it goes off. Not only is it more difficult to wake from these states, but people who do so also end up feeling less rejuvenated by their time in the sack. Scientists in India, however, think they may be on their way to designing an alarm clock that only wakes you up when the time is right. Read More

Brooklyn based inventor Jamie O'Shea has created the Vertical Bed, which is exactly that - a "bed" that will allow you to sleep vertically. Whilst the awkward contraption doesn't look as comfy as what we might imagine a bed to be, it does logistically allow a person to sleep in a standing position ... and no, we're not sure why either. Read More

If you’ve done much camping, chances are that you’ve probably seen fellow campers sitting around the chilly campsite first thing in the morning, wearing their sleeping bag like it’s a dressing gown. Well, Chilean graphic designer Rodrigo Alonso Schramm has taken the wearable sleeping bag concept one step farther, and created one with arms, legs, and a hood. Sold as both the Selk’Bag (in homage to the nomadic Chilean Selk'nam people) and the Musuc’Bag, it could be just the thing for those times when you feel like getting up, but don’t want to get out of bed. Read More

A "capsule hotel" is Japan's solution for cheap accommodation for guests primarily wanting to sleep and nothing else. Though the idea sounds similar to a hostel, the sleeping quarters consists of "capsules" measuring approximately 2m x 1m x 1.25m/6.5ft x 3.3ft x 4ft (that's not much bigger than a coffin) and stacked next to and on top of one another. A separate section of the hotel houses the public bathing facilities, lockers for personal belongings and if you are lucky a restaurant or vending machine. It is also common to find men- or women-only capsule hotels, however they are predominantly used by men. Read More

All of us feel the need to make like an ostrich and hide from the world around us now and then. Could this be the answer? Lying somewhere between a travel cushion and a soft bag to put over your head, the OSTRICH is a design concept that aims to provide a portable retreat from any waking daytime environment where the stresses and strains of the day can melt away. Read More

If you want to wake up gently to a sunrise, there are a couple of things you can do. You can invest in one of the many digital alarm clocks that start a simulated sunrise (like PURE's Twilight or Philip's Wake-up Light) or you can leave your curtains open and wait for the sun to shine through them. Taylor Franklin Hide believes that he might have a third option in the form of the LUMI – a high-tech sleeping mask with faux sunrise technology built-in. Read More

Loud snoring is not just a tiring irritation for partners but can also be a sign of sleep apnea. The National Institutes of Health reports that more than 12 million Americans suffer from the most common of the three varieties - obstructive sleep apnea, where the upper airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep. There are a number of treatment options already available and Minneapolis-based Inspire Medical Systems is about to add a shocking new addition to the treatment options on offer. The new system - which is about to enter clinical trials - electrically stimulates the nerve at the base of the tongue to keep it from blocking the air's journey to and from the lungs, and so offers the patient a good night's sleep. Read More

For those who would rather not use coffee to stay awake, Takanoha & Co. has developed an ingeniously clever earpiece alarm. Its latest model, the Nap Vieeb Plus II, is designed to sense when you fall asleep and then trigger an alarm that wakes you up again. But how does the device know when you're falling asleep? Read More