The success of modern alarm clocks seems to depend on how challenging it is to turn them off. Ruggie lacks a snooze button and requires you to apply pressure to it to shut it off, so it might actually be effective.
Apply pressure to it? Are we still talking about an alarm clock here? Well, yes, we are! Ruggie was designed, as its name might imply, too look like a rug that you place just beside your bed. The Canadian eponymous company that produces this alarm clock thought that requiring people to place their feet on Ruggie for a predetermined amount of time might prevent them to go back to sleep. The lack of a snooze button increases the effectiveness of this device.
By default, Ruggie is set to stop after standing with your feet on it for 3 seconds. The manufacturer claims that that duration can be customized, so if you’re a heavy sleeper, you know what to do. Instead of featuring a metal cold surface that would surely cause you to be grumpy from the beginning of the day, Ruggie comes with a memory foam that feels extremely comfortable. You know what else will prevent you from being grumpy all day long? The motivational speeches that are played back by Ruggie once it stops ringing.
The following video includes a couple of examples of motivational messages you could have Ruggie play back to you each morning. Having Arnold Schwarzenegger telling you to have a nice day right after you wake up can definitely help you start the day on the right foot. Keep in mind that these are just examples, and that you can customize the messages you want Ruggie to play back. If you need something extra to get you going, you might want to try Shia LaBoeuf’s Just Do It motivational speech. It would have been great if Ruggie had a weight sensor, so that it stopped only if it felt your entire body’s weight sitting on it.
Ruggie is currently featured on Kickstarter, where its developers have been looking to raise $50,000 CAD so that their product enters mass production. Luckily for them, the funding goal was exceeded in just five days, and the final amount might actually be a multiple of that goal, since the campaign still has 53 more days to go.
Early birds had the chance to reserve a Ruggie for themselves for $82 CAD, but the 500 spots are long gone, so if you want one, you’ll have to back the project with at least $110 CAD (around $79 USD). Included in the package are the Ruggie motivational speech alarm clock itself, a USB cable and a free eBook titled How to Wake Up Early and Build Successful Morning Routines. Assuming that the crowdfunding campaign ends well, Ruggie will start shipping its motivational speech alarm clocks in September 2016. Is it worth the wait? Will other companies launch innovative alarm clocks by then? Well, only time can tell.
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