Do you ever turn off your alarm when you are half asleep? Well obviously the inventor of this had a problem with that happening.....
Clocky.
Dumb name I know, but still awesome.
Clocky is an alarm clock that runs away from you (and hides?). It is made by Nanda, a company that only appears to make this one product. It came out a couple years ago but this is the first I have ever seen of it. The alarm clock is sandwiched between to large "off roading" wheels. It isn't too big, roughly 5x3x3 inches. The clock can apparently jump off surfaces up to three feet tall without damage. The wheels are slightly larger than the clock to protect it from damage as it maneuvers around your room/house bumbling into things and randomly changing paths. The premise is that you will have to hunt for it and by the time you are able to turn it off you will be fully awake. The snooze time is adjustable from 0 (no snooze permitted) to 9 min. Clocky allows one snooze, and on the second alarm it "jumps" off your night stand and beings its spastic dance accompanied by R2-D2 like sound and flashing screen. It moves randomly, so you will not be able to adapt. The rugged wheels facilitate movement on wood or carpeted floors. For days that you aren't in the mood for a chase, there is an option to disable the wheels. It also has the nice feature of low battery warning.
While I could see it getting annoying quickly, I think this is a clever and interesting invention. There is a lot of emotion associated with waking up, so it is the perfect opportunity for Human Centered Design! The emotion was definitely played up in the marketing of Clocky. It was consistently referred to as "he" in the description and compared to a quirky pet. It comes modestly packaged, with only the small outer box and a few sheet of instructions. The box design is subtle, displaying few words, a 2-D icon of the clock, and tint reflecting the color choice of your new pet. It retails at around $40 which may be a steal for all the morning entertainment Clocky provides.
OMG I think that I would stand up and throw this alarm clock down the window if it wakes me up that way... I know that this is a great product for people that have a hard time waking up because it makes them stand up to turn it off. On the other hand, I think that it is an awful idea for people like me, who wake up very easily.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I don't see people using this alarm clock because if they do, they will be in the worst mood the entire day because of the extremely loud sound of the alarm clock.
I think Denise couldn't be more wrong- the noise isn't much different from any other alarm clock and the fact that it gets people up and moving is a great idea! I know you might not like it, and I know I don't either, but it serves a great purpose for satisfying a very strong need.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the personification of the clock is endearing and makes for a less harsh "waking up" process because you're playing a game of hide and seek! How much more fun could waking up be?
I think having this thing for an alarm clock would drive me nuts. Although i think i would just use it to play pranks on my friends. Its a great idea, but it would only be used by people who can actually tolerate it for more than a few times. I know i would stop using it. I hate waking up in the mornings in general, much less chasing my alarm clock around the room. Good design though.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens if it gets stuck in in some unreachable place (under the bed by the wall?).
ReplyDeleteI recently had to use the extension cord that I usually plug my phone into (to have it next to my bed) for something else, so my phone has been plugged into the wall away from my bed for a week or so. Now when it goes off I have to get up and go over to it to turn it off. So frustrating. Makes the snooze process much less enjoyable. I could imagine there would be no such thing as the good ol' 5-10 minute snooze with this creature.
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