A habitual snorer is sure to draw the odd night-time prod from their spouse. While these might come at any time and with varying degrees of force, the Snore Activated Nudging Pillow hopes to defuse these late-night, semi-conscious altercations by automatically delivering a gentle nudge when the noise levels start to escalate.
The pillow features a built-in microphone to detect the sonic vibrations particular to snoring. Just as an intermittent snort evolves into deep-rooted nasal rumblings and the partner rolls over to awaken the culprit, the pillow inflates an internal bladder, causing the user to adjust their sleeping position.
While this may not be enough to rouse the heaviest of sleepers, the makers of the pillow determined that inflating the pillow to an extra three inches (7.62 cm) in depth was best for providing that subtle and potentially marriage-saving nudge.
The sensitivity of the microphone can be adjusted to accommodate light to heavy snorers, while the bladder can be manually inflated to anywhere between 4 and 7 inches (10.1 - 17.8 cm) to suit the more upright sleeper.
The Snore Activated Nudging Pillow isn't the only gizmo we've seen that attempts to confront this problem. Back in 2008 we saw a pillow shaped to improve circulation in snoring side sleepers, while the Jukusui-Kun robotic bear pillow takes a more hands on approach.
The Snore Activated Nudging Pillow has a contoured shape for "optimal head positioning" and measures 21.5 x 14 x 4.5 in (54.6 x 35.6 x 11.43 cm). It comes with a 100 percent polyester cover which can be removed for machine wash and is powered by an AC adapter.
The pillow is available through Hammacher Schlemmer's website and costs US$149.95. That could seem a bit steep for a pillow, but if it might be worth it if it actually produces the desired result – a good night's sleep for you and your partner.
Made by Hammacher Schlemmer, the Snore Activated Nudging Pillow has a contoured shape, which the company says "provides optimal head positioning"