Reverse Alarm Clock
The Reverse Alarm Clock (RAC) is designed to help young children stay in bed at night by providing an abstract display of time that they can understand. The clock also has an experience intention of helping parents feel they are becoming the parents they desire to be. The RAC attempts this by placing the interaction within intimate bedtime rituals, by addressing parents’ long-term goal of teaching their children to make good decisions (e.g., stay in bed), and by creating an opportunity for the parent and child to connect with each other through interactions with the clock. The RAC consists of four elements: sky display (1 in figure below), controller, treasure-chest music box (2 in figure below), and bed sensor pad (3 in figure below).
The sky display mimics a puppet theater with a starry background and two puppets: the moon and sun.
The controller lets parents set times for which the clock transitions to the in-between (moon set time, leaving the stage) and wake-up (sun rise time, entering the stage) states.
The treasure-chest music box lets the child select the music to play during the wake-up state, when the sun puppet enters the stage and it is time to get up and start the day.
The bed sensor pad detects the child’s presence on the bed. If the child leaves the bed during the in-between state (the moon has exited the stage, but the sun has yet to enter), the sensor pad transitions the clock to the wake-up state (sun enters and music plays).
For more details about the Reverse Alarm Clock, please visit reversealarmclock.com.
