CES 2014: Withings Shows Off 'Aura' Smart Sleep Tracking System

[MacRumors]

Withings, the company behind the Smart Activity Tracker and the Smart Body Analyzer is showing off its newest health monitoring device, the Aura Smart Sleep System. Aura, which consists of a bedside device with an ambient light, a sleep sensor, and an app, is designed to monitor and improve the sleeping experience.

The system's bedside device records information like noise pollution, room temperature, and light level, while the sleep sensor, which goes under a mattress, monitors sleep patterns, breathing cycles, and heart rate. The sensor is able to pick up the tiniest of movements, even under thick mattresses.

Withings Aura is comprised of a soft and discreet sleep sensor that slips under your mattress and works in synchronization with the sensitively designed bedside device. Together, the two units record and monitor an array of factors to offer you a deep understanding of your sleeping experience. The sleep sensor focuses on personal patterns (body movements, breathing cycles and heart rate) and the bedside device screens your bedroom environment (noise pollution, room temperature and light levels).

In addition to recording information, the bedside device is able to offer customized light and sound to improve sleep, along with alarm clock functionality and personalized wake-up and fall-asleep programs.

For example, the multi-color LED in the bedside device is able to regulate melatonin, and sound programs are able to replicate the frequency and pattern of the circadian rhythm to stimulate users upon waking and relax them when sleeping.

The accompanying app allows users to visualize and compare their sleep cycles from night to night, monitoring triggers that cause poor sleep, and it also allows user to program their individual sleep programs.

Withings' Aura sleep system will be available in the spring of 2014 for $299.

Article Link: CES 2014: Withings Shows Off 'Aura' Smart Sleep Tracking System

 

[acreichman]

$300 for only sleep tracking?

I love the Withings activity tracker and scale but this is triple the price of the Pulse, which already tracks sleep, and even if you assume it's going to be much better at sleep tracking that's a steep price to pay for just that when the activity tracker will do it and track steps and heart rate. I was hoping for an improved Pulse that would be more sensitive and track more kinds of activity but this is pretty disappointing.

 

[macs4nw]

This might help those with sleep apnea.

 

[Nevaborn]

This might help those with sleep apnea.

Sadly not. This does nothing to offer respitory aid only ambience. Personally I already know my sleeps crap, this is just an expensive way of telling you.

 

[Sol]

This system could be programmed to trigger lucid dreams. Apparently to do this, colour lights need to be triggered when someone is in a certain stage of sleep (I think it is REM, the 5th stage of sleep). Since this device will monitor heart-rate and movement, it should be able to time the triggering of colour lights at just the right time, so as to alert the dreamer that he is in a dream without waking him.

 

[MICHAELSD]

This almost makes me believe they copied one of my inventions, which had the same name and similar functionality. Almost...

 

[Rajani Isa]

I love the Withings activity tracker and scale but this is triple the price of the Pulse, which already tracks sleep, and even if you assume it's going to be much better at sleep tracking that's a steep price to pay for just that when the activity tracker will do it and track steps and heart rate. I was hoping for an improved Pulse that would be more sensitive and track more kinds of activity but this is pretty disappointing.

The main benefit is the ambiance shaping effect.

But I don't think the sleep tracking would work for me. Not with my two dogs and cat. XD

 

[Carlanga]

This might help those with sleep apnea.

How would a light show help sleep apnea patients?
Sleep apnea patient will either need a CPAP which is needed for proper respirations or surgery.

I guess the blue light part is good for winter months and usually blue lights machines that only do light are expensive by themselves.

 

[bmauter]

I wonder if this will work on infants, so as to reduce SIDS? If so, $299 is a pittance.

 

[Koodauw]

I would be interested in this product, but $300 seems a bit high.

 

[chiefsilverback]

I wonder if this will work on infants, so as to reduce SIDS? If so, $299 is a pittance.

What do you mean by 'work'? There's already a company that makes a motion sensor for infant beds that will sound an alarm if there's no movement (breathing) for 20 seconds.

We purchased one before our first son was born and it's still going strong with number 2. The speed you move when the alarm goes off for the first time is impressive but thankfully he'd only shifted himself to the corner of the crib and away from the sensor pads...

 

[mdelvecchio]

This almost makes me believe they copied one of my inventions, which had the same name and similar functionality. Almost...

really? what patents? where can we view the product website or purchase one?

 

[snebes]

$300 for a device to tell me I am a heavy sleeper, I snore, and will probably be thrown off by my dog snoring and pushing me over on the bed so she can be in the warm spot I made....

Who knows what it will say if my dog starts to dream, she gets very noisy then

 

[dysamoria]

Yay. Another product to exploit the millions of people who have sleep disorders caused by a fundamentally toxic social expectation norm.

 

[sulpfiction]

They say this will work on even the thickest of mattresses....But how about a Tempurpedic memory foam mattress? I have a queen Grand Bed and it is really thick, with 3 different levels of foam. I just can't see this picking up any movement through it at all. And no way possible it will pick up any breathing or heart rate info. Will it?

 

[Demon Hunter]

How would a light show help sleep apnea patients?
Sleep apnea patient will either need a CPAP which is needed for proper respirations or surgery.

I guess the blue light part is good for winter months and usually blue lights machines that only do light are expensive by themselves.

Actually, what a sleep apnea sufferer needs (in addition to professional medical treatment) is data, information. It's the phantom of the night as they say.

I have apnea myself and any information I can get about my sleep is helpful to treatment which by the way is not only about CPAP/surgery! Many things affect sleep hygiene.

A poor man's alternative to something like this is the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock app. For a buck that app that can do wonders.

 

[demodave]

Sadly not. This does nothing to offer respitory aid only ambience. Personally I already know my sleeps crap, this is just an expensive way of telling you.

Why would you state that this "can't help"? Even if the monitoring only allows a person with sleep apnea to become aware that they have the problem, it might encourage them to seek more corrective help. By providing that guidance, this device could "help" them. It does have a "sensor".

(I have no stake in this, but I find your comment too closed-ended/minded. Many who suffer from sleep apnea are not aware that they suffer it.)

 

[Carlanga]

Actually, what a sleep apnea sufferer needs (in addition to professional medical treatment) is data, information. It's the phantom of the night as they say.

I have apnea myself and any information I can get about my sleep is helpful to treatment which by the way is not only about CPAP/surgery! Many things affect sleep hygiene.

A poor man's alternative to something like this is the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock app. For a buck that app that can do wonders.

So you get the sleep data from it; then what? You should know what foods alcohol, lying to the side, etc already.
The CPAP/APAP some will monitor humidity and monitor breathing.
At the end I fail to see the need to spend money on this after diagnosis, but I will appreciate and hear what you would consider to make it more beneficial for sleep apnea treatment?

 

[captain kaos]

How would this differentiate movement from 2 people sleeping in bed?

 

[leftoverbacon]

This works well for me.

http://24-7.motionx.com/

and for only $0.99 on iTunes.

 

[macs4nw]

How would a light show help sleep apnea patients? Sleep apnea patient will either need a CPAP which is needed for proper respirations or surgery…..

It's not the light show part that could be beneficial to sleep apnea sufferers of course, but the unit could conceivably be programmed to gently rouse you from sleep, if and when a cessation of breathing was detected.

But agreed, not a replacement for a CPAP unit. The better units of the latter by the way, are quite expensive.

 

[Sol]

It seems like new products like this come out to make you all feel like you have some problem that needs to be fixed. Not everyone sleeps the recommended 7.5 hours and everyone has different reasons for this. No device will magically give you more time to sleep. I suspect that if anyone has any success with this it will be because they follow the instructions and start sleeping when they should, instead of staying up reading MacRumours in the hope that free Mac Pros get announced.

 

[Nevaborn]

Why would you state that this "can't help"? Even if the monitoring only allows a person with sleep apnea to become aware that they have the problem, it might encourage them to seek more corrective help. By providing that guidance, this device could "help" them. It does have a "sensor".

(I have no stake in this, but I find your comment too closed-ended/minded. Many who suffer from sleep apnea are not aware that they suffer it.)

I have suffered from this so speak from first hand experience, that's why I stated it.

----------

It's not the light show part that could be beneficial to sleep apnea sufferers of course, but the unit could conceivably be programmed to gently rouse you from sleep, if and when a cessation of breathing was detected.

But agreed, not a replacement for a CPAP unit. The better units of the latter by the way, are quite expensive.

This isnt designed to be able to wake you or disturb you intentionally though, it is simply designed to monitor and if anything help relax the person via light therapy.

even if this is designed to wake you I sincerely doubt its effectiveness. In fact, giving the varying thicknesses of mattresses with some being very thick I call in to question the overall effectiveness of this product in any sense. Like others have said can it differentiate between two people and also what about types of mattress, some are stiffer or softer than others, does it allow for this ? as these factors effect sleep.

I may sound overly picky but these aren't cheap products and make claims of being able to help you. tbh a £0.69 app and a night light would be cheaper and just as productive I am sure.

 

[Demon Hunter]

So you get the sleep data from it; then what? You should know what foods alcohol, lying to the side, etc already.
The CPAP/APAP some will monitor humidity and monitor breathing.
At the end I fail to see the need to spend money on this after diagnosis, but I will appreciate and hear what you would consider to make it more beneficial for sleep apnea treatment?

I agree, there are the basic things like caffeine, alcohol which we should just know already. But thats still just guesswork without some real information. For example there are sleep events which don't register as full apneas which still interrupt deep REM sleep. Making adjustments to room temperature, bed position, light, etc. could possibly help reduce those events. More of a supplement than anything else.

My CPAP has humidity controls and it keeps track of my apneas in memory for my healthcare provider; I can't access that data though (I can only ask for a graph printout when I see the doc) so it would be nice to have some more control over that.

At least in my case there's never a perfect CPAP mask/device either. It's always uncomfortable or inconvenient in some way, so if this alleviates that, I could see another benefit there.

Lots of "maybes" though and I certainly don't have $300 to find out if it's worth it!

 

[rbrian]

Looking at that picture I see a full size roll mat, with a gigantic, scary blue light hovering over my head! I'd never get to sleep with that towering over me! Then I see the iPhone, and realise my sense of scale is off...

Anyway, I don't really see the point of this when there are so many wristbands, and apps that use the M7 and make the wristbands close to obsolete. I use Sleep Cycle, which I only got because it was the free app of the week a few months ago. Despite my scepticism, the variable alarm timer has helped me wake up better every day since. It's worth much more than 69p.