MIT Builds Alarm Clock That Hides

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

March 25, 2005, 11:24 AM

MIT Media Lab might have the answer for individuals who just can't get out of bed in the morning. Research associate Gauri Nanda has created an alarm clock, called "Clocky," that drives off a bedside table and hides as soon as the snooze button is pressed. And to ensure its owner awakes, Clocky hides in a different spot each day.

Clocky sports wheels and is enveloped in a shag carpet to prevent damage during its fall. Inside, a processor calculates a new hiding place each morning. All told, Clocky costs about $20 USD to manufacture, its creator says.

"In designing Clocky, I was in part inspired by kittens I've had that would bite my toes every morning. Clocky is less of an annoying device as it is a troublesome pet that you love anyway," explains MIT's Nanda, who admits, "It's also a bit ugly."

Nanda notes that Clocky does not solve all of the problems associated with alarm clocks, such as waking up a person in the next room, but thinks one day it could.

"I think the answer rests in the usage of multiple Clockies," says Nanda. "Let's say there are two people with different sleep schedules sharing a room. Maybe one person's Clocky can tell the other to hush up if it has sounded off one too many times."