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When the Alarm Clock Runs and Hides

Posted by kdawson on from the run-in-circles-scream-and-shout dept.

bbbbryan writes to tell us about the commercialization of the elusive alarm clock prototyped at the MIT Media Lab a couple of years back. This alarm clock actually runs, hides from you, and beeps to ensure that you'll be awake enough not to go back to sleep by the time you find it and get it shut up. Detroit News has a writeup on the device, which you can buy from the inventor's site for $50.

3 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Why make it so difficult... by Kjella · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have an alarm clock for when I really really need to get up. There's no going back to sleep afterwards because you're either in cardiac arrest or wide awake, it lacks any concept of gentle wake-up and is only slightly less annoying than the smoke detector. To avoid the former I use my regular cell phone first, so I'm only slumbering or in light sleep when it goes off.

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  2. Flame Fest. by femto · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How long before, like the flaming mouse, one of these knocks a candle over or runs into a fireplace, and burns a house down?

  3. Runs and hides...? by Demerara · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...falls off the bedside locker and rolls about aimlessly more like.

    This being /. I was expecting some real smart features such as:

    o Learns the layout of your bedroom

    o Jumps off the locker before it goes off

    o Hides in the optimum place

    o Doesn't hide in the same place twice

    o Has a proximity sensor - runs away as you try to pick it up.

    Based on the Yew-Toob clips, I reckon this gadget would last about 5 minuted in my house. It's simply too easy to hit with a stick.

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