Lolo’s (perfect Moment) Alarm Clock

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CphsgESZGcE&feature=player_embedded%5D

It seems everybody has a different interpretation of the perfect alarm clock. [Loic Royer’s] alarm clock is not the loudest, or the smartest, but does have some interesting features. By monitoring several environmental factors like temperature, air quality, humidity, dew point, and your own sleep patterns, this alarm clock can determine the best moment in the morning to wake you up.

The main sensor is a wireless accelerometer with the theory being: the more you move in your sleep, the closer you are to a conscious state. The other sensors assist in picking the perfect moment, and awaken you with the sound of birds chirping.

For now all we have is the source code and the list of hardware, but for anyone wanting to try, a circuit diagram wouldn’t be too hard to figure out on your own. Check after the rift for some more videos.

Setting the clock:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H51m5tOAKqQ&feature=player_embedded%5D

Different sensors:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHXxB8jQfU&feature=player_embedded%5D

Wireless accelerometer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKqmedNijh8&feature=player_embedded%5D

20 thoughts on “Lolo’s (perfect Moment) Alarm Clock

  1. very interesting project but for all that i think a bigger screen would be in order … maybe PSP screen sized and in color and very vibrant but this is a nice start

  2. @Roboguy

    for one its an alarm clock that is supposed to give humidity and whatever other information and when your just waking up the last thing you want to do is focus to read an alarm clock
    secondly an alarm clock is used mostly as a regular clock and reading a small poorly lit poorly contrasted screen is more effort and more strain than should be on such an advanced clock

  3. Very nice idea. (I actually remember seeing it some time ago).

    There’s something that I am missing, where exactly is the acceleration sensor mounted?
    How often does it find that right moment for waking you up, before the maximum allowed hour? I am asking this because I’ve recorded myself sleeping a few times and i found out that some nights i don’t move at all during sleep, I wake up in the same position that i fell asleep.

  4. I need to find somewhere to get a bunch of cigar boxes for project enclosures. This one looks pretty solid, whatever the box was from.

    What factor does Air Quality possibly play in waking you up, or is that just an info display?

    I guess if you or anyone sleeping with you is gassy it’s best not to wake up when the air quality is ‘poor’.

  5. @biozz
    Well, it doesn’t have to supply that information. From my reading of the HaD post, I gather that it uses that info itself, and that the user doesn’t need to know about it.
    It could be that they don’t use their alarm clock as a normal clock – they might rarely use their watch or a projection clock for telling time. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock, and I read the time on my watch when I wake up.

    Even if they do read the time off their clock (in which case I agree that a larger screen is needed), I’m not sure they would use a “[PSP-sized color screen]” on such a project when a cheaper, lower resolution B&W screen would be better suited for time display.

  6. This is pretty cool, but I would replace the bird sensor with a REM sensor. If you wake during REM, you always feel refreshed. Plus, birds start chirping at 4 AM in the summer here… don’t want to wake up then.

  7. @Roboguy
    it gives “temperature, air quality, humidity, dew point, and your own sleep patterns” so i believe one would also use it as time
    plus i dont know many people who buy an alarm clock and a clock so its as simple as putting 2 and 2 together

    probably used it because its cheap and easy to interface not to mention a psp screen (sparkfun #LCD-08335) is $60

    thats why i said its a nice start

  8. @biozz: I can see the number perfectly well, even at a distance, but some people complained that the screen is a bit small (girlfriend). I guess I am lucky with my eyes (until now ;-))

    @Bogdan: The accelerometer is attached below the matress in a way that it registers as much movement as possible. A cable goes to the alarm clock.

    @M4CGYV3R: The air quality has nothing to do with waking up. I just like to monitor air quality, reminds me to open the windows…
    The idea came because sometimes I would wake up with a headacke if I had not open the windows. I just need a lot of oxygen during my sleep. I am really experimenting right now to figure out how I can best use all this data I collect to optimize my sleep…

  9. Am i to assume it only starts monitoring within a certain timeframe (say, one hour before latest wake-up time)? if it monitored my movement all through the night and used that to signify waking me up, it’d go off every hour all night long.

  10. @bdirgo: interesting board…

    @jones: Maybe, it all depends how sensitive it is… Testing would be needed…

    @aeiah: Exactly, I set a ‘waking up deadline’ and it monitors sleep for a periode before, I choose 1 hour.

  11. I don’t see the point of waking you when you are almost awake in the first place but maybe I’m missing something? Isn’t an alarm clock’s business to wake you when you are asleep so you don’t come late for work and such?

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