Market Analysis

After comparing devices already available in the market, we believe monitoring a person’s brainwaves will be the most effective approach in determining sleep. Using a gyroscope to sense a head dropping or monitoring heart create are not reliable methods; customers complain about false alarms when they look down to check the radio. Furthermore, using brainwaves will allow us to design a sleep device that does not look bulky. Table 1 illustrates the pros and cons of the devices on the market.  When a person concentrates, beta waves are present which measure at around 15-50hz.  When a person begins to fall asleep, alpha and theta waves occur which measure at 9-14hz. A filter or fft of the brain signals should provide us with enough information to determine their state of mind. Figure 1, found in a scientific article by Ned Herrmann about brain creativity, illustrates the general shape of brain waves at different stages of brain activity.

Table1: product comparison

Product	Methodology	Positioning	Works with glasses?	Bulky
Nap Zapper	Gyro/head drop	Around ear	NO	NO
Driver Alert Sleep Warning Device	Gyro/head drop	Around ear	YES	NO
Kissmart®  Doze Alarm	unkown	Glasses	YES	YES
Sleep Hound (ours)	EEG brainwaves	headband	YES	NO