Waking up to a blaring alarm clock can be quite jarring, and also pretty irksome if you're not even the person for whom the alarm was set. That's where SilentWakeUp is made to come in, as it wakes its wearer – and only its wearer – by silently buzzing their body.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, SilentWakeUp was created by California-based startup SmarterWakeUp.
The device itself measures 5 cm long by 3 cm wide by 1 cm thick (2 by 1.2 by 0.4 in), and is temporarily adhered to the user's skin via replaceable hypoallergenic medical-grade silicone adhesive pads – each one is claimed to be good for seven uses. Although users can put the device on whatever body part they wish (please, no jokes), suggested locations include the forearm and the chest.
Utilizing an iOS/Android app on a Bluetooth-paired smartphone, the wearer sets the time at which they wish to get up. Ten minutes before that time arrives, SilentWakeUp begins delivering what will be a total of 200 vibrational pulses. These gradually increase in intensity, the idea being that the user will be incrementally awakened, as opposed to suddenly getting "yanked" out of deep sleep.
And yes, as a side benefit, bed partners who don't need to get up as early aren't woken by the device.
Utilizing the app, users can choose between three vibration levels, based on how heavy of a sleeper they are. They can also set the device to go off at multiple times throughout the day, to discretely remind them about appointments, etc if they choose to wear it during waking hours.
Power is provided by two button cell batteries, which should reportedly be good for three months of use. The app will alert users when they need to be replaced.
Assuming SilentWakeUp reaches production, a pledge of US$85 will get you one, along with 30 of the adhesive pads. The device is demonstrated in the video below.
Sources: Kickstarter, SilentWakeUp
