The current generation of sleep gadgets either focus on monitoring the quality of your sleep or producing sounds to help you sleep. They work well enough, but with the importance of good rest being more pronounced than ever, they probably need to evolve to do more. The Somnox is seeking to do just that.
Billed as a “sleep robot,” the device seeks to help you sleep better by providing elements that calms and appeases the senses, soothing your body and mind to help improve the quality of your slumber. Whether you want to fall asleep faster, sleep longer, or wake up more refreshed, this thing vows to help with making it happen.
At first glance, it’s not that far off to mistake the Somnox for a pillow, with its fabric exterior and peanut shell shape making it look like a small body pillow. And, well, it sorts of functions as one, since it’s designed to be hugged by the user during their sleep. Once switched on, though, the device will begin performing breathing motions (yep, just like a living object), at first mimicking your own, then gradually slowing down to help lull you into sleep. According to the outfit, having it mimic your breathing rhythm will put your body in sync with the pillow, prompting you to follow it unconsciously as it gradually slows down.
Along with the breathing, the device can play your choice of soothing sounds, which it also gradually adjusts in volume and eventually turns off. Yes, all the adjustments happen autonomously, so you won’t have to wrack your head trying to figure out the ideal settings. It comes with a variety of built-in sounds, including effects (such as heartbeats and white noise), lullabies, and guided meditation, although you can also upload your own choice of calming and relaxing audio (or raucous and chaotic music, if that’s your thing). It uses a combination of breathing and audio to wake you up in a gentle manner, ensuring you’re slowly coaxed into an awake state instead of being subjected to a jarring alarm.
According to the outfit, the Somnox can also provide the feeling of companionship, since you’re hugging what feels like a living, breathing being. We know, that’s kind of weird, but if it will help me sleep, I’d gladly embrace sleeping with my own personal E.T. It claims to do this through the combination of its ergonomic shape and soothing materials that feel good to the touch (the robot is enclosed in a PU mattress foam with a removable sleeve and cover), allowing it to provide soothing comfort just like your favorite body pillow.
It comes with a 2GB microSD card where all the audio it plays is stored, so you might want to replace with a larger one if you’re interested in loading your own sounds. The onboard battery, by the way, will require daily charging, so make sure to plug it in every morning so it’s ready to use at night.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Somnox. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at €449.