What if every morning could be bright and sunny? As part of an Entrepreneurial Initiative class, engineering students at Olin College came up with a way to control day and night. Okay, so it’s not quite as epic as it sounds, but it is still pretty cool. The idea is called Sunrise Blinds. The technology lets you tailor the dark/light cycle.
The idea was hatched as a way to accommodate those who have schedules which do not match the normal waking/sleeping hours. As described by the students, “Sunrise Blinds combine the benefits of a blackout curtain with flexible LED technology resulting in curtains that slowly light up your room, peaking in brightness at the time you programmed. Until you want to wake up, your room is nice and dark so you can get the highest quality sleep possible.”
The students tested participants in varying levels of darkness while sleeping and, as might be expected, the darkest environment provided the best sleep. On the other hand, to wake up readily, a substantial amount of light was required. By adding flexible LEDs, the amount of light can be progressively increased as the time to wake is approached.
The Sunrise Blinds would include one blind with the LED technology, other, standard blinds to cover additional windows and a Bluetooth-enabled “alarm clock.” One LED blind is sufficient to light up the room, and the timing is programmed at the alarm clock. Estimated cost is $175 for a three window set.
So who will be buying these blinds? According to their market research, the most likely customer is a non-standard shift worker. In professions which commonly include non-standard shifts, such as Hospitality, Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, there are bouts 40,006,300 people who could potentially benefit. Of course, they must be willing to spend the money.
Lack of sleep can cause accidents, loss of mental acuity, and a host of health problems. These are real concerns for those with schedules mismatched from the normal light-dark cycle or living in extreme latitudes where there are periods of excess light or dark. To many, a good night’s sleep is priceless. Now it can come at any time of the day.
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