Software Turns Mobile Phones into Smart Alarm Clocks
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 10/15/2008

Diagnosing sleep disorders often requires extensive sleep recording at a
sleep laboratory. Research conducted in two Finnish universities - Tampere
University of Technology and the University of Helsinki - resulted in the
development of a technology for screening and diagnosing sleep disorders. The
first application of the new technology is HappyWakeUp, a software-based
"smart alarm clock" for mobile phones. It is the first health-promoting
mobile phone application. 

A Tampere researcher started recording snoring two years ago. He noticed that
a common microphone is very sensitive to any sounds and voices produced by
movements in the bed during the night. The HappyWakeUp software gives an
alarm signal, via the mobile phone, in the morning just before the ultimate
alarm time, if the sleeping subject is awake or almost awake due to the
natural sleep rhythms. The mobile phone is located beneath the pillow or near
the sleeper. Continuous use helps the internal clock in the brain learn the
proper sleep rhythms. 

The sensitive microphone recording could also be used in monitoring other
aspects of sleep. Detecting restless legs syndrome and screening for snoring
and sleep apnea are possible using the application. Smart Valley Software
Ltd. is developing the technology into a commercial software that can be
downloaded to Nokia mobile phones. 

Links:
HappyWakeUp
http://www.happywakeup.com/en/index.htm