Apple patents bizarre mattress that can monitor you while you sleep

An illustration for the patent filing for Apple's planned sleep sensor

Credit: Apple

Apple has applied to patent a futuristic mattress sensor that can monitor people’s sleep and then wake them up by gently moving them in the morning.

The iPhone maker has been working on an “in-bed haptic device,” according to a filing, which would be inserted into a person’s bed on top of their mattress before they go to sleep.

Apple’s sleep device could use sensors that monitor light, sound and weight to detect which position someone is sleeping in and whether they’re snoring.

If connected to the customer’s iPhone, the sensor could also be used as a silent alarm clock that wakes people up at a desired time by gently moving them.

The mattress sensor could be covered in lumps that can inflate or deflate when needed to produce a sensation underneath the sleeper that gradually brings them to consciousness.

Apple suggests the device could fill the lumps with gasses or liquids in order to produce a sensation that wakes the customer up.

“The in-bed haptic device may provide haptic outputs along a top external surface that may be perceived tactilely (e.g., sensed through touch) by the user,” the patent filing first reported by AppleInsider says.

Apple acquired in-bed sensor company Beddit in 2017 which tracks the quality of people’s sleep through similar sensors to the device patented by Apple.

Patent filings by large technology businesses such as Apple often fail to translate into finished products and are sometimes used as forms of marketing or ways to dissuade rivals from expansion into certain areas.

The emergence of the patent filing comes after news emerged that Apple plans to produce a more rugged version of its Apple Watch designed for athletes.

The business is planning to release a new version of the device later this year or in 2022 that would be aimed at people who use their smartwatch in more extreme environments.

These “Explorer Edition” Apple Watch models would include improved impact-resistance and protection, Bloomberg reported.