Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Clever Clocks Get You Up
Are you one of those people who just can't get up in the morning? Well, artists and roboticists have been hard at work (until late a night, no doubt) to create clever clocks that will make sure you get out of bed.
Blank-o-Matic
Blank-o-Matic is just the thing for those of us who work on our websites until late, and then must rise in a timely fashion the next day. EH Burneleit and Katrin Lutkemoller have worked out an alarm system and bed that will not only provide you with a wake-up call, but will also pull down the covers. No longer cozy, you will get up - at least, that's the theory.
(Blank-o-Matic)
The Anemone Clock
This little guy uses sound, light, movement and forced interaction to get you going early on. As soon as the alarm goes off, it rumbles and buzzes - that way, you can't find the off switch. If you let it go for more than a short time, it shakes itself right off the bedside table, forcing you to go look for it to turn it off.
(Anemone clock)
Sfera Gets You UP
Sfera is an unusual art project by Hayat Benchenaa (with Garikoitz Iruretagoiena). It's an alarm clock that hangs over your bed; it dims its light and soothes you with music as you go to sleep. In the morning, Sfera chimes and you reach up to give it a tap to silence it. A tap initiates the snooze function; Sfera climbs up its cord, forcing you to reach higher and higher. Eventually, you'll have to stand up and pull it down, silencing Sfera.
(Sfera clock gets you UP)
Clocky Runs And Hides
Clocky is a clever little clock with wheels that knows you want to snooze, and is ready to roll. Sure, Clocky gives you one chance to snooze, but after that, Clocky sees how far away from your bed it can get.
(Clocky by Nanda)
Hakugen Scent-Based Alarm Clock
This clock sneaks up on you by issuing any of several attractive and (I hope) wakeful scents. Here's the sales pitch, translated: "By the fact that the fragrance only of morning starts drifting from 30 minutes ago of the alarm, it is the necessity of the refreshing morning which arranges the environment which is suited for awaking." I particularly like the Hakugen, because it reminds me of the Odalarm from Frank Herbert's 1977 novel The Dosadi Experiment.
(Hakugen Scent-based Alarm Clock)
Sleepers, awake! Learn more about Blank-o-Matic, Anemone clock, Sfera clock gets you UP, Clocky by Nanda and Hakugen Scent-based Alarm Clock.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 4/17/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 3 )
Related News Stories - (" Lifestyle ")
Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...' - Chris Boyce, 1967.
Amazon Blimp Parent Drone Concept
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...' - Daniel Suarez, 2012.
Tortoise Mobile Smart Stores
'... all round the city dozens of cars have rented out their trunks, which contain cigars and scotch and stuff.' - Karl Schroeder, 2019.
Sony Pocket Air Conditioner Is Phil Dick's Idea!
'... he went to the hall closet to get his pith helmet and his mandatory cooling-unit.' - Philip K. Dick, 1965.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
