It should be no surprise that the “smart” revolution is hitting the world of sleep. As reported by BBC News, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is set to roll out the Aura “smart sleep” system from a company called Withings.
Reporter Leo Kelion reveals that one part of the device slides under the mattress to study the dozing owners while another screens their bedroom environment. It is the first of more than a dozen sleep-related gadgets set to be launched at the Las Vegas event.
The Aura system consists of three parts:
1) a soft padded sensor that is slipped under the mattress which the firm says is able to record body movements, breathing cycles and heart rates;
2) a device that should be placed next to the bed that includes sensors to study noise levels, room temperature and light levels. In addition it contains a clock, a speaker that plays alarm sounds and a circular LED (light-emitting diode) lamp; and
3) A smartphone app that controls the system and provides feedback about the sleepers’ night.
“The light changes colour from blue to yellow and red across the course of the night on the basis of research that different light wavelengths can affect the secretion of hormones,” writes Kelion. “Philips’ rival Wake-up Light lacks the mattress sensor but can charge a smartphone. Studies have suggested that blue light stimulates melanopsin – a pigment found in cells in the eye’s retina, which send nerve impulses to parts of the brain thought to make a person feel alert.”
