日本發明機器熊 翻轉頭部可治打鼾
A research group from Waseda University has come up a robotic bear that flips over people's heads in their sleep to open their airways.
The bear is used as a pillow, but has a built-in microphone.
As soon as Jukusui-kun detects a loud snore, his paw reaches up (gently, at least in the brief video demo on display)， and pushes the sleeper's head to one side.
The motion should push sufferers of sleep apnoea - the loud form of snoring that can be dangerous not only to relationships but to health - into a position where they no longer snore.
The bear was shown off at the International Robot Show in Japan. Jukusui-kun means "deep sleep" - and the robot is targeted specifically at snorers whose snoring inhibits their blood oxygen level, with a separate hand monitor sensing when blood oxygen levels drop.
The only problem is that not only do they have to sleep on a bear-shaped pillow with jointed robotic hands, they also have to insert their hand into another bear-shaped monitor which monitors blood oxygen.
Monitors are also built into the sheet under the sleeper - the idea being that electrical cords would disturb sleep.
The bear waits until low blood oxygen and loud snores indicate that the person sleeping on Jukusui-kun is snoring loudly, then the paw strikes.
The bear is not yet on sale - and whether or not a robotic paw reaching up to turn one's head over is any more effective than one's partner shoving the person remains to be seen.據英國《每日郵報》11月15日報道，日本早稻田大學的一個研究小組發明了一種機器熊，可以在人們睡覺時翻轉他們的頭部，以保證呼吸道暢通無阻。
這種熊其實是一個枕頭，不過裝有內置的擴音器。
只要Jukusui-kun(這款機器熊的日文名字)檢測到響亮的鼾聲，它就會擡起爪子(輕柔地，至少在展示的短片上看來如此)，把睡覺的人的腦袋推到另一邊。
這個動作幫助了那些睡眠窒息患者——巨大的鼾聲不僅危及人際關係，更加危及健康——使他們能夠不再打鼾。
這款機器熊已經在日本國際機器人展上亮相。Jukusui-kun一詞在日文中的意思是“深度睡眠”——這款機器熊是專門針對打鼾者設計的，打鼾會抑制人體血液中的含氧量，機器熊的一個“熊掌監控器”能夠檢測血液含氧量是否下降。
唯一的問題是，打鼾者不僅需要睡在一個接有機器手的熊形枕頭上，還必須把手插進另一隻熊形監控器裏，以檢測血液中的含氧量。
監控器也被安置在睡覺的人身下的牀單裏——人們認爲它的電子芯片可能會干擾睡眠。
直到血液中較低的含氧量和響亮的鼾聲表明睡在Jukusui-kun上的人正鼾聲大作，機器熊纔會伸出爪子移動。
這種機器熊尚未上市銷售——機器熊用爪子翻轉頭部是否比伴侶直接推搡更加有用，還有待觀察。
