The Eight is a mattress cover that transforms your regular bed into a bed with smarts. It will intelligently track your sleep and make temperature adjustments to ensure a good night’s rest.
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How does it work?
Eight is a thin mattress cover that’s designed to fit under your bed sheets, on top of your existing mattress. It not only represents an impressive piece of sleep tracking kit in its own right, but offers a painless route for those looking to take their first steps into the world of the connected home.
Eight collects environmental data such as room temperature, humidity, noise and levels of ambient light. While ballistocardiography and temperature sensors measure your heart and breathing rate, movement and bed temperature.
Speaking of temperature, if you’re a couple you don’t need to worry about your partner’s preferences – owing to Eight’s dual-zones each side can be independently controlled. Sleep metrics are also recorded separately too.
It uses a smart alarm to ensure you wake up feeling more refreshed. It achieves this by identifying the moment of lightest sleep during the specified 30-minute wake-up window you indicated prior.
Its sensors will auto detect whether you’re snoring, but Eight’s manufacturers are quick to point out that it’s not a healthcare product so shouldn’t be used to diagnose sleep apnea or similar sleep-related conditions.
Eight is also fitted with sensors for self-diagnostic purposes and to ensure it remains in tip-top condition.
Eight will also communicate with other smart home devices, so it can be programmed to lock your doors or turn off lights at bedtime. It ultimately makes your mattress part of the connected home without depending on other wearables.
Design and ergonomics
Eight is made from 100 per cent polyester which is machine-washable. It’s available in four different sizes to suit all mattress configurations – these include: Full 54in x 75in (137cm x 191cm), Queen 60in × 80in (152 cm × 203 cm), King 76in × 80in (193 cm × 203 cm) and California King 72 x 84 (183 cm x 213 cm).
Eight’s array of sensors are concealed in both the fabric layers of the cover, and inside the power adaptor’s enclosure.
Connectivity and apps
Eight learns and adapts without human intervention, for instance it will create a personalised schedule and make adjustments to your bed’s temperature when required. However for those who like a hands-on approach, your smartphone can still be used as a remote control through the official Eight app.
Eight will also sync recorded sleep data with third-party apps like Apple’s Health Kit and Google Fit (on Android devices).
Specific data relating to the time you went to bed, how soundly you slept, how long it took you to get out of bed etc. is all viewable via the app. It will also offer historical sleep data about the quality and quantity of your sleep over a period of time (weeks, months, years). At the time of writing the app is available for iOS and Android devices – a Windows Phone app is currently in development.
Eight offers compatibility with Nest, Philips Hue, Lockitron, Emberlight and Beep smart home devices straight out of the box. However there’s nothing to stop you from you from adding more yourself using the popular IFTTT web service.
Although Eight is an all-in-one sleep tracking solution, it needs to be in range of a strong WiFi signal in order to function. Power is run to the cover via connecting cables that attach to a mains adaptor, so make sure a plug socket is nearby.
Cost and availability
Eight is currently available for preorder via crowdsourcing website Indiegogo. Prices start from around $249, making the Eight a relatively inexpensive solution to upgrade your bed.
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