Trouble sleeping because of the noise? Whether it’s being next to a busy road, or sleeping next to a snorer these audible interruptions can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
Now, audio experts Bose have decided to tackle this problem by creating a pair of specially designed headphones that can block out the rest of the world.
Rather than going down the usual route though, Bose has decided to test the headphones as part of an Indiegogo campaign.
Called Sleepbuds, these tiny wireless headphones are designed to be put in at night and can then play one of 10 different soundscapes specially created by Bose.
Although they can be controlled wirelessly by a smartphone app, the Sleepbuds aren’t wireless headphones in the conventional sense. They can’t stream music, instead they can simply play one of 10 tracks pre-installed in each earbud.
Each track has been specially designed to block out the outside world while still creating an environment within which a person can sleep comfortably.
By limiting their wireless capabilities however Bose were able to create a pair of tiny headphones that can run throughout the night without running out of battery.
The project isn’t all Bose however, much of the team that is now working on the Sleepbuds originally worked for a startup called Hush that was also developing a sleeping aid.
Bose, seeing the company’s potential, decided to acquire Hush, roll them into the existing R&D team and the result is Sleepbuds.
Now while you might be asking why Bose, a huge corporation, is using a crowd-funding platform like Indiegogo.
Their answer is actually quite simple: “We acknowledge that we don’t need the money like a typical startup does.”
“However, quite candidly, we’re charging a discounted price for the prototype because we believe it’s the best way to find highly motivated testers. We believe that testers who pay for the prototype are likely living with a severe “noise in the bedroom” problem, they’re going to use the prototype rigorously, and they’ll provide more and better feedback.”
Bose certainly lacking in testers as the bad news is that every single prototype has been taken by a backer. For the moment then it’s a case of watching, seeing how they do and then waiting for the finished product to come out.