Robotic pillow

Seen at the International Robot Exhibition, in Tokyo: Dr. Kabe from Wasaeda Univeristy’s Kabe Lab in the Faculty of Human Science, demonstrates the Jukusui-kun (Deep Sleep) - a robotic pillow-like device in the shape of a polar bear designed to help the more than 2 million patients in Japan who suffer from "chronic snoring."

Dr Kabe’s Jukusuri-Kun works through the person asleep wearing a similarly cute pulse-oxygen meter attached to the hand which sends readings of the amount of oxygen in the blood to a terminal running a program with the persons vital statistics pre-programmed in. To eliminate the intrusion of wires preventing a good sleep the team also developed a cordless technology which uses the human bodies natural conductive properties to communicate with a conductive sheet that lies under the bed sheet. The pillow itself also houses a microphone which analyses the decibel level of the snorer. When the oxygen level decreases in the patient resulting in the snore level increasing it triggers the bear-pillow’s hand to move towards the sleepers face. Gently brushing the face causes the person to then turn from lying on their back to moving onto their side, a more conducive postion for a sound, snoreless nights sleep.