A new “smart pillow” developed by computing scientists at the University of Glasgow could help cut down on problematic evening smartphone use, its inventors say.

The scientists have built a prototype enabling people to access digital content at bedtime without looking at screens, thanks to a speaker and tactile sensors built into an ordinary pillow.

Instead of scrolling on their phone screens before bed, users can touch, press, and even hug the pillow to control music, podcasts, or audiobooks streamed from their device with a purpose-built app.

The pillow aims to help make digital consumption more compatible with the onset of sleep – a key physiological process which can be easily disrupted by the distractions late-night screen use can create.

Dr. Xianghua “Sharon” Ding, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science, led the device’s development team. She’s also the corresponding author of a paper on the pillow which will be presented at a U.S. conference this week.

“Screen time before bed can have negative impacts on the quality of people’s sleep,” said Dr. Ding. “Research has shown that it can delay the onset of sleep, making people more tired the next day and raising their chances of developing physical and mental health problems.

“However, digital consumption before bed can also allow people to meet important emotional needs. Smartphone content can help users decompress, relax, and enjoy personal time before sleep.

“In the past, technology aimed at improving sleep has focused on tracking habits, interventions to encourage regular bedtimes, or promoting relaxation through scent or sounds.

“In developing our device, we wanted to explore whether it was possible to use the very familiar and comforting form of a pillow to harness the positive benefits of night-time smartphone use while cutting out the potential harms.”

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The team began the design process by building the pillow’s companion app, which allows users to choose what they want to listen to at bedtime. They simultaneously built a simple prototype pillow, which streamed content through its speaker.

The pillow’s initial design featured two functions based on hugging – a sensor in the pillow allowed users to turn the pillow’s speaker on with a hug, and off again with the same motion.

They then refined it further to give it more personality, embroidering a cat face to the front of the pillow so users could more easily find their way around the pillow without opening their eyes.

They also added two additional sensors into the fabric “ears” for track skipping, and another sensor on the cat’s forehead to add another option for pausing and playing. They also added pressure sensitivity to the controls to prevent accidental use during sleep.

A group of beta testers then evaluated the prototype and suggested how the design could be refined and improved, suggesting a range of tweaks such as gradual audio fade-out.

While the study did not directly measure sleep outcomes, participants felt the smart pillow design could reduce distractions and better support their natural sleep routines.

“What we’re keen to do from here is work our way to turning this research into a product that people can buy and use for themselves,” said Dr. Ding.

“We’re seeking partners to help bring this product to market in the future.”