These gadgets aren’t just tracking your sleep — although many of them do that, too. Some are designed to help you fall asleep more quickly by calming your brain or making your environment more conducive to rest.
This bean-shaped Somnox Sleep Robot is about the size of a small cushion, and pulses as it mimics soft breathing and emits soft music to help you get to sleep. “It’s a sleep robot that helps you get to sleep faster, but also sleep longer,” says Julian Jagtenburg, a robotics engineer and Founder of Somnox.
The sensation of feeling with one hand the falling and rising of a breathing robot is odd indeed, but the soft sounds of falling rain/ambient music/the purring of a cat give the robot an unquestionably calming influence, while its sensors enable it to switch off the moment you fall asleep.
Beddit
This is a great sleep sensor (a small strip that goes under your sheets) that uses a highly accurate method (cardioballistic sensors- very sensitive cardiac monitoring) to identify sleep parameters (you have different heart rate, breathing etc while in each sleep stage). In addition, it can communicate with other sensors in your home to help guide your environment for better sleep (e.g., Nest). One of its many great features is the set-it-and-forget-it mode, where you do not have to turn it on each evening. Beddit gives advice based on sleep, noticing needs for exercise, or if your nutrition is effecting your sleep ( these are all self-reported by the customer and then linked to their sleep variables). There is a smart alarm feature, that will wake you up from a lighter stage of sleep, and the app allows you to review your data easily.
Recovery Sleepwear
Brady UnderArmour has developed sleepwear where printed on the inside of the textile is a ceramic reflective technology using Far Infrared. According to their literature: “The soft bioceramic print on the inside of the garment absorbs the body’s natural heat and reflects Far Infrared back to the skin. This helps your body recover faster, promotes better sleep, reduces inflammation, and regulates cell metabolism.” An independent study was done on this technology where sleep was improved in animals and one insomniac. It feels like a cool idea.
SmartSleep headband
Why wear a Fitbit when you could sleep in some ridiculous-looking headgear? Designed partly in response to research showing that 40% of people between the ages of 25 and 54 have less than the recommended seven hours sleep per night, SmartSleep is a soft-touch, lightweight headband with two sensors. The sensors collect delta waves of the deep sleep phase, with Smart Sleep then amplifying them to intensify deep sleep, and also minutely recording sleep phases. Unlike other sleep trackers that only monitor a user’s sleep pattern, SmartSleep can actively help people sleep more restoratively. The headgear is charged via USB, and links to a SleepMapper app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
HUMU Augmented Audio Cushion
We’ve seen pillows with built-in speakers before, as we have gaming chairs that vibrate, but this Audio Cushion combines the two. A reasonably firm pillow-cum-neck support that contains two vibrating sound boards, it takes any source of audio and produces a rippling, resonating effect that accentuates bass and low frequencies. Connecting to a tablet, laptop or phone via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm jack, HUMU is able to produce a wider range of frequencies than any speakers or headphones, although it nevertheless seems most likely to be destined for strapping to a gaming chair.
BedJet, a climate control system for beds
The BedJet smart comforter is a one-of-a-kind system that uses forced air and a smartphone app to help you regulate your temperatures while sleeping. The BedJet’s blower sends hot or cool air, depending on your preference, through a hose that is connected to the provided comforter. The comforter, which is more like a dual-layer flat sheet, fills with air that keeps you comfortable. The “smart” label comes into play because you can pair the BedJet with your phone using the app. This allows you to program different temperature settings throughout the night. The BedJet V2 Climate Comfort System is an expensive item but it can fill the role of other appliances, such as fans, space heaters, and more.
Glo to Sleep Mask
This is no simple eye mask—in fact, it almost looks like a pair of goggles. Once you put on the mask, you see a blue glowing light on the inside of it. As the light fades away, you are supposed to drift along with it into dreamland. A bonus is that the thick foam surrounding the mask claims to block out any extra light that could impact your sleep.
Courtesy of CES 2018 https://www.tomsguide.com/t/ces/