Smart ‘pinecones’ warn against wildfires. When it comes to domestic fires or break-ins, however, deaf people are particularly vulnerable.
Enter a British research team and its new vibrating pillow jacket. On the reverse four miniature haptic actuators have been woven into the fabric.
These are coupled with a smartphone through a microcontroller; the smartphone, in turn, can be connected with alarm systems, fire detectors or digital doorbells.
Users can quickly establish the level of threat as signals from each device are turned into a distinctive vibration pattern. When inactive, the sensors remain unobtrusive and don’t disrupt sleep.
A smart lamp detects epilepsy attacks when patients are asleep; while this pillow could make snoring a thing of the past.
