Narco

August 11, 2010
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Rotomolded sleep chamber

Narco is a cell for napping. Developed by Marie-Virginie Berbet for use in the workplace, Narco optimizes environmental conditions to provide a regenerating short-time sleep by preventing sleep inertia (which is characterized by a lower motor dexterity and a feeling of grogginess).

The monolithic rotomolded shell allows an unobtrusive integration of the cell into the workspace and a direct access to sleep. Its translucid exterior provides audio and visual isolation from its outer environment without conveying a claustrophobic feeling. This isolation is reinforced inside by the densification of foam strips around the head of the user. The hammock shape of the interior cocoon allows a levitation position, which reduces sleep latency but also sleep depth.

Thanks to breathing rhythm sensors placed on the user’s body, Narco detects precisely when the napper falls asleep. Ten minutes later—the optimal time for avoiding sleep inertia—a soft light increases in the cocoon strips in order to awake the user gently.

Contact: Marie-Virginie Berbet, Paris, France.

For more information, see Transmaterial 3: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine our Physical Environment

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