Project Duration
May 2023 - October 2023 (5 months)
My Roles
Responsibilities
SnugMellow is a smart pillow that uses AI voice system to help users sleep better. We provide a personalized sleep experience for users. Users can customize the pillow to their preferences. We relieve users' anxiety and stress by providing a soothing sleep environment.
Key Achievements
/ 1
Designed the initial user interface for SnugMellow, focusing on creating an intuitive and user-friendly experience. Collaborated closely with developers to ensure the successful delivery of the first edition, aligning the design with technical requirements.
/ 2
Identified project requirements and collaborated with the team to define the project scope, goals, and objectives. Developed a detailed project plan, including timelines, resources, and milestones, ensuring alignment with the overall project goals.
/ 3
Conducted technical research including embedded electronic components, and LLM integration. Corporate with team member on technical challenges, and provided technical support for the project.
Problem & Solution
The Problem
Insomnia can lead to severe consequences including alcohol abuse, anxiety, and fear of sleeping. The intricate relationship between sleep disorders and mental health creates a cycle that, without proper intervention, can progressively worsen over time.
Our Solution
Smart Pillow + AI Voice System
We're developing an innovative solution that combines:
- Advanced smart pillow technology
- AI-powered voice interaction system
- Psychological healing framework
- Real-time sleep monitoring
- Personalized therapy interventions
Market Research
Market Analysis
Current market offers various smart pillows with different approaches to improving sleep quality. Here's how they compare:
MoonPod
- Zero-gravity feel
- Ergonomic design
- High-density beads
- Reduces anxiety
- Limited portability
- High price point
- No smart features
- Takes time to adjust
Avantree Slumber
- Built-in speakers
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Comfortable design
- Long battery life
- Battery needs charging
- Limited sound quality
- No sleep tracking
- Basic functionality
Nitetronic
- Anti-snoring technology
- Sleep tracking
- Smart adjustments
- App integration
- Expensive solution
- Complex setup
- Requires app usage
- Limited comfort focus
Innovation Opportunities
AI Integration
Advanced AI-powered voice interaction system that learns user preferences and adapts to individual sleep patterns. Features include:
- Personalized sleep coaching
- Voice-activated controls
- Adaptive comfort settings
Mental Health Support
Integrated psychological support system designed to help users manage stress and anxiety:
- Guided meditation sessions
- Breathing exercises
- Sleep hygiene coaching
Smart Analytics
Comprehensive sleep tracking and analysis system providing actionable insights:
- Sleep quality monitoring
- Pattern recognition
- Health recommendations
Brainstorm
There is some brainstorming ideas that will give opportunities to Snug Mellow
User Research
Primary Research
Understanding pain points and obstacles faced by people with insomnia issues
Gathering data through sleep quality surveys and technology reception
Analyzing sleep patterns and alternative solutions for insomnia
Studying sleep habits of people with anxiety and ADHD
Collecting feedback on existing sleep solutions and AI product reception
Key Findings
Major impacts of insomnia on daily life and well-being
Experience with electronic sleep improvement products
Alternative approaches to addressing insomnia and anxiety
Connection between anxiety, ADHD, and sleep patterns
User reception and benefits of AI integration in daily life
Participant Character
Total 25 participants
Personas
Thanks to the participants who spent time joining my research, I created two user personas based on the contribution of these participants' interview answers.
Jane
Student
Jane
Student
Phillip
Software Engineer
Phillip
Software Engineer
Empathy Map
SAYS
- “...I always struggle at when I stay up late at night, and the very next day I’m easily felt tired...”
- “I have been tried many ways to deal with my insomnia, including taking melatonin tablets for a long term, although it’s not healthy...”
- “I have no objection to using AI, I would like to try, I’m curious whether it works or it just sounds fancy...”
THINKS
- Wants to control her insomnia symptoms ASAP
- Felt dizzy all the time due to long term insomnia
DOES
- Just get her undergraduate degree in Finance, Currently seeking for her first full-time job
- Always write down next week's task on fridge's sticker in advance.In order to sleep earlier and have a nice sleep quality, she always taking melatonin tablets
- Has lots of notebooks to jogged down the thing.Sometimes will doing some exercises at the noon.
FEELS
- Anxiety when talking about her insomnia issues
- Curious about combine AI with smart pillow
- worried about whether the project will works for herSad when sharing her thoughts about the bad effects that insomnia brings to her.
SAYS
- “...I can’t fall in sleep without playing videos, I must need some audio sounds with me when I goes to sleep...”
- “Waking up suddenly in the middle of the night is very annoying. ...”
- “I’m very interested about AI, cause my job are related to AI, so I’d definitely interested about the AI pillow ...”I have tried many ways to make myself more concentrated.
THINKS
- Wants to stop taking Sleep aid medicine before go to sleep
- Wants a smart calendarWant to find a psychologist, consulting for how to ease his anxiety
- Don't wants too many fancy functions, just wants simple features on the appWant to have a nice travel after he finished his important tasks next month
DOES
- Visiting doctor in the past for his insomnia, has taking some medicine
- Always write down next week's task on fridge's sticker in advance.Drunk wine before he goes to sleep, however, the wine made him stay up to the bathroom frequently.
- Has lots of notebooks to jogged down the thing.Usually playing audio sounds under the pillow to help fall a sleep
- Working remotely, always working till late due to his insomnia.
- Sometimes, he will playing with his kids
FEELS
- Excited when heard AI might have potential to improving insomnia
- Felt helpless when talking about his road to fight with anxiety, insomnia
- Happy when talking about his sleep quality being improved after he doing some exercises.
Pain Points
Hypothesis Statement
I propose that developing a smart pillow equipped with an AI psychological coach trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) would be highly beneficial for users experiencing insomnia. Furthermore, integrating connectivity features to access streaming content, such as white noise or sleep-aid audio, would enhance the therapeutic benefits.
Technical Research
Snug Mellow consists of three parts: the pillow, the controller, and the phone app. The pillow is the primary component, followed by the controller, with the phone app providing supplementary control. The pillow is equipped with integrated streaming functions, allowing users to play sleep-aid sounds or other audio while asleep. Additionally, it contains an internal pressure sensor that acts as a motion detector. This sensor monitors the user's sleep quality and adjusts the speaker settings according to the sleep cycle based on the detected data. The controller serves as an interface for the pillow, enabling users to adjust the sounds emitted from the speaker. It also functions as a microphone for interacting with the AI coach. Snug Mellow phone app offers supplementary control in case the controller is unavailable and provides data visualization, enabling users to track and analyze their sleep quality. It also allows users to customize the function of snug mellow according to their preferences.
Below is the hardware technical research of Snug Mellow
Technical Details
Fabric Selection
Bamboo Fabric
Cotton
Silk
Polyester
Internal Components
Talalay Latex
Primary filling material offering breathability, softness, and natural vanilla-like fragrance for stress relief.
Memory Foam
Supplementary layer providing sound absorption, comfort, and adaptive support.
Pillow Structure
Key Features
- Ergonomic design with cervical support
- Multi-layer construction
- Integrated speakers and sensors
- Sound-dampening technology
Smart Technology
Acoustic Layer
Specialized fabric design for optimal sound reflection and distribution.
Embedded Speakers
Curved design with polycarbonate casing for optimal sound delivery and safety.
Pressure Sensors
Capacitive sensors for sleep quality monitoring and adaptive response.
The Exploration of the Potential of the Controller
The component that we need for the controller is
- Raspberry Pi - a minicomputer that provides data input and output as the gateway between the controller and the cloud.
- Power supply - offers power to operate devices.
- Indicator LEDs - status indicator for devices.
- Enclosure - protect equipped electronic components in devices.
Why we choose Raspberry Pi?
How Will AI Help?
In this project, we aim to develop a smart pillow integrated with an AI coach and voice diary function to enhance user sleep quality and relaxation. The pillow will incorporate a Raspberry Pi, which functions as a gateway to receive data from embedded pressure sensors and transmit it to the cloud. The mobile application will send commands to the Raspberry Pi, which will control the speakers embedded within the pillow. For the AI coach functionality, we will primarily utilize the OpenAI API with pre-trained models such as GPT. The model will be fine-tuned with a dataset collected from a diverse group of individuals to ensure accurate and relevant interactions that promote relaxation and sleep. The development process will involve using Python for AI model training, backend integration, and the development of mobile interfaces.
Workflow
When users prepare for sleep and activate the pillow using the remote, it will automatically play a pre-selected lullaby or default audio to help them relax. The Capacitive Pressure Sensor continuously monitors sleep status, detecting when the user has fallen asleep and transmitting the data to the terminal. The terminal analyzes movements, such as how frequently the user turns over, and adjusts audio playback accordingly. Upon waking, users can easily review their sleep quality records via our mobile app.
Exploded View
