I am most definitely not a morning person. I prefer working into the night when things are quiet and nobody can bother me. Consequently it makes it very difficult to get out of bed in the morning. About four years ago I perfected a technique that serves me well to this day. I set my clock-radio to NPR a half hour before I need to be out of bed. I set the volume so that it is just loud enough to first wake me, and then allow me to fall back into stage-one brainwave activity. A half hour later, there is a second alarm clock across the room which has a shrill beeping sound. It will not be pacified until I am fully up. Within that half hour however I am able to induce dreams based upon NPR’s stories, to actually live out, the days news. Over the past year I have battled insurgents in Iraq, sat in during Supreme Court hearings, and walked through tsunami devastated villages. I do all of this before even brushing my teeth. After experiencing so much at dawn everyday it becomes a little easier to get out of bed. The problem is that my technique isn’t patentable. I simply advise friends to try it. 25 year old inventor Gauri Nanda of MIT’s Media Lab has her own method of waking up that’s gotten her some publicity lately.

Clocky is, quite simply, for people who have trouble waking up.

When the alarm clock goes off and the snooze button is pressed, Clocky will roll off the bedside table and wheel away, bumping mindlessly into objects on the floor until it eventually finds a spot to rest. Minutes later, when the alarm sounds again, the sleeper must get up out of bed and search for Clocky. This ensures that the person is fully awake before turning it off. Small wheels that are concealed by Clocky’s shag enable it to move and reposition itself, and an internal processor helps it find a new hiding spot every day.

I don’t like being told when to wake up but I’ve come to terms with the idea that I have to. In designing Clocky, I was in part inspired by kittens I’ve had that would bite my toes every morning. Clocky is less of an annoying device as it is a troublesome pet that you love anyway. It’s also a bit ugly. But its unconventional looks keep the user calm, and inspire laughter at one of the most hated times of the day.

I’ve been known to hit the snooze bar for up to two hours or even accidentally turn it off. I’ve known people who put the alarm clock in the living room, but then forget to set it before going to sleep. Others say they are trying to wean themselves off of snoozing, as if it was a bad habit like smoking or drinking. In the foggy logic of our drowsiness, we disable the very device that is meant to wake us up. Having the alarm clock hide from me was just the most obvious way I could think of to get out of bed.

Clocky is not trying to solve all of the problems of alarm clocks—for example how they disrupt other people in the room—but I think maybe someday it can. I think the answer rests in the usage of multiple Clockies. Let’s say there are two people with different sleep schedules sharing a room. Maybe one person’s Clocky can tell the other to hush up if it has sounded off one too many times. Or, maybe they can form an alliance and simultaneously target the offending over-sleeper. I have adopted the philosophy that when two devices communicate, they can solve more problems—that is, two Clockies are better than one.

Also check out the rest of Nanda’s website. It’s very cool. I must confess that I surfed away with a little crush.

See also: New York Daily News article Continue reading →