Does it make you feel frustrated when you wake up thanks to somebody else’s alarm and that person is sleeping like a baby? Yes, we can relate to that experience as well but we are more happy now that the Hush earplugs are here. They not only work as a sound deterrent but are also capable of ringing the alarm directly into the ears of the user.
The plugs connect to the companion app via Bluetooth and play soothing music while blocking out any external noise such as the traffic noise from a busy road or the irritating sound of someone snoring. The gadget is made by 3 engineering students from San Diego. It took the team about 11 months to go from design to sale phase with a Kickstarter campaign underway.
The gadget has been embedded with foam which eliminates sound, while imparting noise masking to keep the wearer safe from external sounds. The plugs can either be silent or programmed via a smartphone app to play a myriad of sounds that include white noise, ocean waves and even a crackling fire. The smartphone’s alarm will ring when it is time to wake up via the plugs so that no one else is disturbed. Users can also set the alarm to ring when a certain someone messages or calls.
The firm said, “Two of the most popular methods of dealing with noise disturbances when you’re trying to sleep are earplugs and sound machines. However, earplugs have physical limitations in blocking out sound because even when your canal is completely sealed off, sound still gets through to the eardrum by conducting through your bones. Similarly, sound machines are limited in how much sound they can mask as they can only be played so loudly until they become a deterrent to sleep themselves.”
The Kickstarter campaign will end on 23rd December, however, the team from University of California has already doubled the goal they were hoping to achieve by raising $260,600. The gadget can be pre-ordered for $100 per pair with shipments slated for May 2015.
Daniel Lee, Hush’s chief executive, shared, “We have launched a new way for people to deal with noise, perhaps the most significant deterrent to sleep. As engineering students living in dorms, we often found our sleep distracted by a variety of noises. Hush’s smart earplugs allow for a better night’s sleep with the ability to hear important notifications.”
The plugs can be tracked via the smartphone app in case they are lost. So, how many of you are going to purchase them?
