INSIGHT | MATERIALS AND NATURE
PILLOW TALK
The bedding industry has faced some major challenges and has certainly not been resting on its laurels. Here, we explore how other industries have been playing their part
W
e spend a third of our lives in bed, according to experts. So it follows that, when helping us seek the perfect sleep solution, the world of technology has been at the forefront of innovation.
Mattresses, for example, employ high levels of sophistication in terms memory foam, pocket springing and latex. And with poor sleep linked to health problems as wide-ranging as obesity, heart disease and diabetes, there has been increased interest in rest-promoting design. It’s no surprise, therefore, that technology borrowed from other industries has been making an impact, with interesting results. The car maker, Ford, for example, has developed a bed that keeps couples in the “right lane”, just like cars on the road, in an attempt to guarantee a decent night’s sleep. It’s a smart bed that can identify when a so-called “selfi sh sleeper” has rolled on to their partner’s side of the mattress and put them back in their place. It uses the same technology used to detect road markings in front of a car that nudges the steering wheel in the opposite direction if it senses the driver is getting too close to another lane. The mattress works like a large conveyer belt, revolving to move both people back into their own half of the bed. The prototype is part of Ford’s Interventions series, which applies the company’s automotive experience to help solve everyday problems. Broken sleep is a serious issue and one that
can result in disputes that can eventually ruin relationships, according to sleep experts such as Dr Neil Stanley. The fi ndings of Dr Stanley, who has a record of advising companies, including major brands such as Ferring of Denmark, Pfi zer in the US and Roche of Switzerland, were at the forefront of Ford’s thinking in the project.
TOP BRANDS CONTRIBUTE TO SLEEP SCIENCE “Humans are most vulnerable when sleeping, so we’re programmed to wake when something or someone touches us unexpectedly,” he advises. “If someone moves on to your side of the bed, this defence mechanism will kick in and they’ll have a broken night, often while they continue to sleep soundly.”
Other major brands include the phone company, Nokia, which produced a “sleep tracker” that works via a wi-fi enabled pad under the mattress to, not only, track sleep patterns, but even adjust the lighting and temperature when you get in and out of bed.
“Humans are most vulnerable when we are sleeping, so we’re programmed to wake when something or someone touches us unexpectedly”
Dr Neil Stanley, sleep expert 64
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