For many deaf people, getting woken by an alarm can mean sleeping on top of bulky alert devices. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University say they have come up with a quieter fix, a smart pillow sleeve that vibrates in emergencies.

The device is designed to wake deaf users when fire alarms, burglar alarms or phone calls come through. It was developed alongside members of the deaf community and slips over a standard pillow inside a normal pillowcase.

At the centre of the design is a thin, flexible electronic textile sleeve with four small haptic actuators that vibrate when an alarm sounds. Each actuator measures 3.4 mm by 12.7 mm and is embedded inside a yarn-like structure so users can sleep on top of it.

PhD researcher Malindu Ehelagasthenna, from Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design, developed the device after deaf users asked for a less intrusive option.

He said: “The electronics we have embedded in the yarns of the sleeve are so tiny that they cannot be felt by the users.

“But when an alarm sounds they can be made to vibrate intensely in order to wake even the heaviest sleepers.”

The electronics connect to a smartphone through a microcontroller and are then linked wirelessly to household alarms. Different vibration patterns tell sleepers if the alert is for a fire alarm, burglar alarm or phone call.

Research supervisor Theo Hughes-Riley said: “This smart design represents a significant step toward inclusive emergency alert systems, allowing deaf and deafblind individuals to sleep more safely – and with greater peace of mind and comfort.

“It has been an entirely user-led development, stemming from feedback from the deaf community, who told us exactly what kind of real world challenges they face which might be solved with electronic textiles.”

The research team is now working to develop the prototype further and find an industrial partner to help bring the pillow sleeve to market.

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