Interest in insufficient sleep has soared in recent years as people of all ages spend more time looking at digital device screens. New understandings of risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease including insufficient sleep have spurred increases in brain research, The Washington Post reported. Scientists want to learn more about sleep’s vital roles, health threats associated with too little sleep, and non-pharmaceutical methods to help people get enough sleep. We’ve written about sleep measurement, headbands that help improve sleep, and more.
Orro, a smart lighting control company based in San Mateo, California, was founded by Colin Billings, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Billings decided to focus on his own sleep problems after selling two previous startups. As Billings learned more about the role of light and light cycles in sleep, he founded Orro to help people like himself with artificial intelligence-driven home lighting.
Orro adapts natural light cycles to personal schedules and light use history. The company claims that within one week after installation the product algorithms will learn enough about a user’s behavior to adjust lighting based on the time of day and user habits. For example, if you walk into the kitchen at your usual time in the morning to make breakfast, an Orro light switch will turn on the lights you normally use at full strength. If you walk into the kitchen in the middle of the night to get a snack or a drink of water, however, the lights will turn on at a relatively dim level to avoid disturbing natural sleep patterns.
Orro’s first product is a single light switch. Each switch includes a microprocessor and software to operate independently. The switches can control dimming of any light bulbs currently available on the market, Billings says. In addition to motion detection, which Orro uses to turn lights on when you enter a room and off when you exit, the switches also use infrared heat tracking to detect presence. With presence detection, the lights won’t turn off if you’re sitting still while binge-watching Netflix, for example. Billings claims Orro’s heat detection can detect even minor body movements.
Orro suggests starting with one room and then adding one switch per room. As you add switches, they connect with each other automatically and share data and rules-based learning about the consumer’s light usage pattern.
Single Orro switches cost $199. Even with quantity discounts, ten Orro switches currently cost $1,699. Few people will likely run out to retrofit all the switches in their home, or even put one in each room at these initial prices. If positive Orro Switch user experiences lead to more purchases, however, it’s reasonable to expect prices will drop over time.
Many of us struggle with getting enough sleep. I raise my hand to what I’m now convinced is a significant threat to longevity and overall health. If Billings’ adapted natural light cycle concept proves to provide significant health benefits, we may see similar products to enhances our sleep.
