The sound of an alarm is bad enough at the best of times, but hearing your partner’s alarm - especially when you don’t have to be up - can be a major source of irritation. Hush earplugs aim to solve this problem by only playing the alarm directly in the wearer’s ears. The smart buds link to an app via Bluetooth to play soothing music, and block out external noises such as a busy road, or someone’s snoring. Hush earplugs were created by three engineering students from San Diego. The whole process from design to sale has taken 11 months and the trio has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production of the plugs. To block out noise, Hush is fitted with sound eliminating foam and uses noise masking to isolate the wearer from external sounds. They are either silent, or can be programmed using the app to play a variety of sounds from white noise, to ocean waves and a crackling fire.
And when it’s time to get up, the smartphone's alarm plays the sound through the earbuds, without disturbing anyone else. Additionally, users can customise notifications so they are always woken up in an emergency, when a certain contact calls or sends a message. ‘Two of the most popular methods of dealing with noise disturbances when you're trying to sleep are earplugs and sound machines,’ explained the firm. ‘However, earplugs have physical limitations in blocking out sound because even when your canal is completely sealed off, sound still gets through to the eardrum by conducting through your bones. ‘Similarly, sound machines are limited in how much sound they can mask as they can only be played so loudly until they become a deterrent to sleep themselves.’
The Kickstarter campaign runs until 23 December, and the three University of California students have already doubled their funding goal, by raising $260,600 (£131,900). The plugs can be pre-ordered for $100 (£64 a pair), and are expected to ship internationally in May 2015. Daniel Lee, Hush’s chief executive, said: ‘We have launched a new way for people to deal with noise, perhaps the most significant deterrent to sleep. ‘As engineering students living in dorms, we often found our sleep distracted by a variety of noises. ‘Hush's smart earplugs allow for a better night's sleep with the ability to hear important notifications.’ And, if the Hush plugs fall out or are lost, they can be tracked using the app.
WAKE UP WITH A SMILE
An app is hoping to put people in a good mood in the morning by making them smile to switch off their alarm. Dubbed ‘Smile Clock’, the app requires users to grin into their smartphone camera before its incessant buzzing is turned off. The camera tracks key features on a user’s face and then determines whether that person is happy enough to be allowed out of bed. It even helps the user crack a genuine smile by showing pre-selected images, or playing songs designed to make someone’s day.