Bear Pillow Prevents Snoring
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Snore like a bear? This pillow can help you (and your significant other) catch some Zs.
Developed by Dr. Kabe in the Kabe Lab at the Waseda University in Tokyo as a means of helping people with sleep apnea, the Jukusui-Kun (Deep Sleep) is a polar bear-shaped pillow that tickles sleepers’ faces when their decibel levels increase mid-slumber.
Jukusui-Kun works through a few mechanisms. When a person lays down to sleep, he or she straps a pulse-oxygen meter to his or her hand. The pulse oxygen meter, also a furry, sleeping bear, contains a microphone. When a user passes out, the miniature bear calculates the blood oxygen level in his hand (measured against the person’s pre-entered vital information), while the microphone picks up and analyzes his snoring. If the oxygen level decreases and the noise level increases, the larger bear pillow’s paw is triggered and moves to tickle the snorer’s face. The idea is that the paw will guide the noisy snoozer to shift to sleeping on his side for a more restful, less raucous sleep.
The anti-snoring robot debuted as part of the 19th International Robot Exhibition (IREX) in Tokyo. This year’s theme, “Robot Technology, Making a Future With A Robot,” featured entries from more than 270 companies. According to Japan Trends, while robots performed a variety of tasks from singing to climbing, much of the technology focused on health and well-being, which the publication called “no surprise given Japan’s rapidly aging population and the future problems of healthcare that it could bring.”
The cuddly Jukusui-Kun falls into that market in its attempt to alleviate sleep apnea, or difficulty breathing, which often leads to chronic snoring. Because the robot’s focus is on providing more sleep, Dr. Kabe kept Jukusui-Kun as comfortable as possible, using wireless technology to grab its measurements in the form of a conductive sheet which lies under the bed.
Enjoy your beauty sleep.
Photo from PSFK
