I have been reviewing technology for more than 30 years. Some gadgets, like the original iPod, were brilliant from the get-go. Unveiled in 2001, it was so insanely advanced and futuristic that it almost looked like it had been left behind by a passing flying saucer. It practically renewed our hope for the future.
Some innovations aren’t quite there yet but are on the right lines – and I’ve gradually become less dismissive and more forgiving of this stuff. Take something that’s been going on in bed these past few weeks with my partner and I.
There’s been a massive push on my social media recently, and very likely yours too, for an extremely expensive new ‘intelligent sleep system’ from a slick American startup, Eight Sleep. We’re talking £2,300 to well over £4,000 for the complete kit and accessories.
The core component of their Pod 5 is a thick, heavy mattress cover containing a network of tiny water tubules, plus a mass of different concealed body sensors and other electronics. Next to your bed stands an elegant but large unit the size of an old-style desktop computer, connected by a thick hose to the mattress cover.
The bedside box contains a water reservoir and can pump either heated or chilled water round the mattress cover. Or – and this is the unique and quite genius bit – both hot and cold at the same time. So one sleeper can have their side of the bed heated up while the other’s is cooled down.
