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Smart Alarm Wakes You But Not Your Partner With Beam of Light and Sound

A new gadget aims to avoid waking to another's alarm by sending a beam of light and sound directly, and only, to the person who needs to get up.
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/ Source: NBC News
Wakē

The trouble with alarm clocks is they wake everyone up. If you've got a partner sharing the bed, or a baby in the room, or a sibling in the bunk above, a noisy beep is likely to bring them out of dreamland as well. A new gadget aims to avoid this by sending a beam of light and sound directly, and only, to the person who needs to get up. It's called Wakē — yes, with a line over the "e," so it's pronounced "wakey."

Wakē attaches to the wall above your bed. It detects where sleepers are with an infrared sensor that tracks heat. Even if you're snuggling close, the sensor can tell where to send its slowly brightening, sunrise-like beam of light. Sound follows, sent by a speaker that can make it audible only in a small part of the bed.

Wakē

The device is currently looking for $100,000 on Kickstarter, and is already more than halfway to the goal. If you're willing to take the usual crowdfunding risks and don't mind spending $250 on an alarm clock, today's your day.

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--Devin Coldewey