VIDEO: BOSE TRIES A NEW CROWDFUNDING EARBUD FOR SLEEPYHEADS
Bose is a trusted name when it comes to noise-cancellation technology, and the company's focus right now is to help folks get some quality sleep. Though many people would likely pop in some foam plugs to try and drown out bumps in the night, student parties or the clatter of a two-stroke as a scooter zooms past an open window, Bose wants to fight such noise with sounds.
The project is still at the prototype stage and Bose has turned to Indiegogo to build a test bed for users that will help with product development.
Bose has made a batch of sleepbuds for an "exclusive price", hoping that they will share their thoughts and experience to help Bose refine the buds prior to global release.
So why does a big company like Bose essentially need crowdfunding product development?
"We acknowledge that we don't need the money like a typical startup does. However, quite candidly, we're charging a discounted price for the prototype because we believe it's the best way to find highly motivated testers. We believe that testers who pay for the prototype are likely living with a severe 'noise in the bedroom' problem, they're going to use the prototype rigorously, and they'll provide more and better feedback to help us improve the product and user experience."
The sleepbuds look similar to truly wireless earphones, but instead of rocking you out, they are designed to rock you to sleep. Replacing sounds of bustling traffic below an apartment window, noisy neighbours or even a snoring partner with sounds to soothe you into a peaceful slumber.
The sleepbuds pair with a smartphone running on a companion app. Snoozer personalizes the Sleep app by choosing their own ideal sonic soother from 10 pre-loaded options (such as nature sounds or red noise), the volume level and play duration.
The app can also send a wake-up sound through the sleepbuds to get you out of bed in the morning.
Bose plans to launch in the marketplace later in 2018.
The video below introduces the project.