Life

This Alarm Clock Will Make You Hate Mornings Less

by Jessica Learish

Can you think of anything more pleasant than waking up to an alarm clock designed to gently rouse you from slumber with the aroma of freshly baked croissants? The SensorWake alarm clock brings that luxury straight to your bedside table — an indulgence previously reserved for bakers’ wives and college juniors studying abroad in Paris — for just $119. Created by 18-year-old Guillaume Rolland, the gadget startup has already received more than double its Kickstarter goal with almost three weeks remaining on the campaign.

Rolland, in true Silicon Valley fashion, brought his garage prototype to the 2014 Google Science Fair, where it placed in the Top 15 “inventions that can change the world.” But SensorWake and its intrepid teen helmsman don’t stop at just croissants.If you prefer starting your morning with a hot cup of coffee, SensorWake has a scent cartridge for you. Bacon? Too easy. SensorWake will even wake you up with the smell of money. (Is this U.S. dollars we’re talking about? You have to be curious what scents they used to simulate our highly cultivated, often-circulated, bacteria-infested genuine money-smell.On second thought, don’t tell me.)

So how does this work, exactly? Simply select the scent cartridge that appeals to you most, and prepare to be awakened by your favorite smells. SensorWake claims the alarm clock's scent will wake you up in under two minutes, but for those who are especially hard sleepers (or just have stuffy noses), the clock has an audio alarm that will ring after three minutes.

Have doubts about whether you would actually get out of bed for your real life to the smell of the "seaside," rather than peacefully dreaming about a sunny afternoon in imaginary-Belize? Here are some other alarm clock options that might suit you better:

1. Diffuse A Bomb Like You're Jack Bauer Or Something

Because nothing says "get up before you get fired" like the threat of an explosion. Note: No actual explosives included.

Generic Cool Bomb Shape Countingdown 10 Sec Alarm Clock, $26.55, Amazon

2. Donate All Your Money To Charity While You Snooze Your Mornings Away

At least you can choose which charity to fund while you miss your train. This app is free to download, but will run you 25 cents per-snooze.

iCukoo Charity Alarm Clock, FREE, App Store

3. Chase Your Alarm Clock Around Like An Idiot, Stub Your Toe

Regular punctuality is well worth the psychic pain of tripping over your phone charger to chase a runaway clock, right?

Clocky, $39.99, Nanda Home

4. Siri's Mean Friend Yells At You First Thing In The Morning

Another app, CARROT alarm will be mean to you every morning for a measly $2.99

CARROT Alarm, $2.99, App Store

I have one question for Guillaume Rolland: if the cartridges start acting or smelling funny, will blowing in them as hard as you can fix it?

Images: Łukasz Hejnak/Flickr; SensorWake/Kickstarter; Amazon; App Store (2); Nanda Home