If you're one of the millions of people who prefer to hit the snooze button on the alarm rather than leave your bed in the morning, then you may want to consider a new product that could help you get up earlier. Ruggie is an invention from Winson Tam that's essentially a rug with an alarm clock built into it. The smart part is the alarm itself - when it goes off, it'll only stop once you stand on the Ruggie for three seconds.
Around 33 percent of people use the snooze feature on their alarms at least three times a day, but Ruggie has no snooze feature and physically forces people to get out of bed to silence the alarm.
"Too many times I've over-snoozed. I know how it feels, it sucks. There is so much resistance in the morning, the warm comfy bed, the cold floors, that awesome dream we just had," said Tam. "I created Ruggie to help myself and others get out of bed easier and be more productive."
The white Ruggie measures 15.5-inches X 23.5-inches and is made from a rebounding memory foam and felt. It has a touch sensor and a blue LED in the corner displaying the time.
The device is fitted with a USB port so you can connect it to a computer and configure what kind of noise you want to wake you up. You can even make Ruggie play a motivational sound clip (or any audio clip of your choosing) once you turn off the alarm, such as "don't get back into bed".
With 51 days left of its Kickstarter, Ruggie has already soared past its $50,000 target and now stands at $126,726. You can still get one of the devices on the Kickstarter site, which includes a Ruggie mat, USB cable, and an ebook on how to wake up early, for $79. The estimated retail price will be approximately $99 and backers can expect to get their Ruggies around September.