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Posts with tag sleep
Not that we haven't seen similar technology from other outfits before, but we'll take as many in-car safety advancements as we can get. It's bruited that Fujitsu is conjuring up a sophisticated sensor system that can actually detect when a driver gets drowsy or begins to sink into a deep, dark wonder-world of sleep. Put simply, the system would detect specific changes in the motorist's heart rate via the steering wheel, and once it determined that you weren't exactly "with it" any longer, the car could then roll its own windows down, blast the stereo or jolt the wheel in order to get your attention. In our minds, the biggest issue here is to not cause an accident by spooking a sleepy driver out of their slumber, and we presume that's exactly what the company is working on in its R&D labs.
Never before has headgear been so intrinsically linked with actual brain waves. Thanks to a team of researchers looking to create a method for "continuously monitoring high-temporal resolution brain dynamics without requiring conductive gels applied to the scalp," a new baseball cap has been created to do the trick. Said hat conceals five embedded dry electrodes which contact the wearer's forehead, while a single electrode behind the left ear acquires EEG signals. From there, the data is transferred wirelessly and can be processed in real-time to determine a driver's level of drowsiness, for instance. The gurus behind the invention have high hopes for its future, and they've already envisioned it being used in a plethora of medical scenarios and for controlling home electronics. To those about to rock this -- prepare for some serious hat-hair.
We've seen some pretty fantasmical beds in our day, but none of them make you want to stay in it forever quite like this one. Hollandia's Platinum-Luxe Elite, which probably took a few design cues from Mork & Mindy's abode, is far from being your average sleep system, as this thing sports a mattress made from naturally ventilated, hypo-allergenic Vita Talalay latex covered in aloe vera fibers and telescopic head supports that can prop your noggin up for those late-night reading sessions. But that's not even the best part -- you can also look forward to checking out its 32-inch Sony HDTV, BRAVIA 5.1-channel surround sound system, five-disc DVD / CD changer and the obligatory iPod dock whenever counting sheep fails you. Only problem? The $35,000 price tag.
We've seen gadgets blamed for increased violence, the fall of contemporary art, and even broken hearts, but the latest study to pin more blame on the gizmos we simply can't do without purports that teens are missing out on crucial sleep thanks to their gadget addictions. According to a recent report by The Sleep Council, "gadgets in bedrooms such as computers and TVs are fueling poor quality 'junk sleep,' and considering that nearly a quarter of respondents "admitted that they fell asleep watching TV, listening to music, or with other equipment still running more than once a week," it's not too hard to understand how the conclusion was drawn. Nevertheless, it was suggested that these electronics were hindering kids' ability to get the recommended eight hours of sleep each night, but hey, when (most) free nights begin at 9:00PM, how can ya blame 'em?
We've certainly seen crafty methods of keeping humans from dozing off when alertness matters most, but WiebeTech's latest actually does a number on your exhausted computer by refusing to let those power savings settings kick in. The admittedly clever Mouse Jiggler rocks a diminutive USB design, and once plugged into your Mac or PC, it takes over your motionless cursor and shakes it all across the screen, effectively denying the machine its heartfelt wish to fall asleep when idle. Of course, this may not do the average user a whole lot of good, but for those locked-down corporate workstations that frustrate IT heads on end by dozing off just before a download / installation is complete, here's your hero. Notably, the Mouse Jiggler comes in "Fast" and "Slow" flavors to suit your cursor-dementing needs, and each can be snapped up right now for $29.95.
While we've seen our fair share of methods to make your night's rest a bit more comfortable (or uneasy), Zyken's latest supposedly provides the perfect solution to combat "light pollution" and help you sleep exactly as nature intended. While you may be functioning on highly caffeinated beans or an overpriced can of energy-injecting liquid right now, the LED-infused NightCove emits various colors throughout the night to coincide with the time, theoretically "stimulating melatonin production" and helping folks sleep better. Of course, there's "proven research" on the firm's website suggesting that these claims are indeed factual, and we must admit the design would lend a hand in sprucing up a mundane bedroom, but for a reported €1,785 ($2,324), it's only a hair cheaper than the entirely more impressive million dollar bed.
If you're the type who feels that sleeping is just another way to waste precious seconds of life, the MyDo Bururu glasses can help extend your waking hours and keep you argus-eyed, but if you've been looking for an easy, comfortable way to find sleep while flying around or cramped up in the back seat of a car, Burton feels your pain. Even if you've already dropped entirely too much loot on a plethora of other Burton gear this winter, the company's Sleeper Hoodie could easily extract a few more bills for all its niceties. Aside from sporting a soft, outer layer to keep your toasty, this special hoodie features a built-in iPod / ticket / passport pocket, complimentary earplug compartment, arm pit zips to air yourself out, cuff thumb holes, a pull down "light shield" to block out the rays, and to top it all off, a built-in neck pillow to keep comfy while dreaming away. So if you've nothing better to do on those hour-long ski lift rides to the tip top of the mountain, you might as well cash in on this and snooze a bit (or tune into your iPod) to pass the time.









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