BedData

Have you ever wondered why you wake up tired in the morning, or why you wake up in the middle of the night and keep turning around in your bed? If you’re like me and have sleep problems, you’ll say “Yes!”

Bed_Data is a smart bed that captures not only how your body moves and how your weight shifts with every move, but also what in the environment makes you uncomfortable while you sleep.

The first prototype uses a 6×12 force sensor matrix, plus light, temperature and noise sensors. With connected home systems, you could control your apartment based on how well you slept.

A few months later we started working with Tom Igoe and John Schimmel, this time with a user who has Alzheimer’s disease. The second version uses one force sensor under the bed, connected to the Pachube sensor-sharing platform, so we know whether she is in bed. If she forgets to go to bed, it texts her family in case they need to do something.

Bed_Data is a collaboration with Diego Rioja.