Maybe the problem with your sleep is the noise. You actually might need a little.
A startup called SNOOZ has developed a white noise machine based on the premise that quiet rooms make our hearing acuter. The breeze-like sound coming from its machine will provide a gentle buffer between you and sudden startling sounds.
Can’t seem to buy a good night’s sleep? For $49 on Kickstarter, the SNOOZ promises to turn the bedroom into a “haven for sleep.”
The SNOOZ team, which is trying to raise $100,000 to ramp up production, sites a survey of 2,100 people who found some sort of sound conditioner to be more effective that over-the-counter sleep aids.
The round SNOOZ device has a fan powered by a brushless electric motor that produces a peaceful sound without disturbing the air. It does not have the roar of a box fan, but does contain a volume control that can also be set at a level safe for a baby.
Many white noise machines produce a digital sound that is on a looping track, which the mind can pick up and disrupt sleep, according to the SNOOZ team. The SNOOZ device sounds more like the fan you would hear in an airplane cabin.
It took three years of prototypes, sound engineering and computer simulation to bring the device to Kickstarter. SNOOZ claims it will need to work with its manufacturer to refine the product and expects to ship by March.
David Pierini is a former newspaper writer and long-time photographer. Considered a luddite by most of his friends, they did not believe him when he broke the news that he would be writing for a technology website. He is fascinated by human nature and would love to cultivate stories about the people driving the tech bus. Reach out to him at [email protected].
