Sleep masks are a dime a dozen, all promising assistance with sleep, lucid dreaming, or even improvements in learning with transcranial stimulation — dubious claims in their own right depending on the method used.
The Sonno BT tries to one up the competition with its use of SBTT, or simulated biological tone technology. This stuffy name is essentially just a recording of the body’s naturally occurring, internal sounds the inventor claims is better than white noise.
What the Sonno BT really wants is to be considered a sort of sleep assistant, but only if the product’s ridiculous stretch goals are met. Using Bluetooth in conjunction with an iOS/Android app, the product can loop messages to aid subliminal learning, sound alarms and reminders, facilitate power naps, place 911 calls in response to the sound of a carbon monoxide or fire alarm, and even function as a smart baby monitor.
A successful $45,000 campaign by June 2o15 gets backers a $60 Sonno BT outfitted purely for a better night’s sleep, while a $100,000 stretch goal tacks on everything else. Backers can expect their own by October 2015.
The Sonno BT is not really that impressive, point blank, especially as it doesn’t take into account the REM cycles crucial to getting a good night’s rest. Other solutions, like the Hush smart earplugs and the SLiiP connected pillow, seem far more reliable in addressing the problem of sleep and should be looked at instead.