Harmonious Beginnings: Acoustic Alarm Soothes You Awake

One of the worst parts of waking up – aside from not being able to finish that awesome dream where you were a Transformer driving a Ferrari alongside your pet panther – is hearing your bone-jarring alarm. The Acoustic Alarm is designed to be a kinder, gentler, more musical way to wake up.

Designed by Jamie McMahon, the Acoustic Alarm is outfitted with four adjustable strings and an internal strumming mechanism. You set the time that you need to wake up just like with any other alarm, but when the appointed time comes you are gently roused from dreamland with a gentle harmonious chord rather than the blaring “BEEP BEEP BEEP” of most other alarms.

If you ever get so used to one chord that you can sleep right through it, the pegs let you tweak each note to come up with a new sound. We would love to see a “test” button so that you can try out your new chord (though maybe fingers would work just as well) and maybe a way for the chord to become less and less harmonious the longer you choose to ignore it and stay in bed.

submit to reddit
See more in Clocks & Watches or under Gadgets. May, 2011.