Snoring is easily one of the most annoying habits in the world—unfortunately, it’s also one of the hardest to control. One company offers a smart earpiece designed to kill snoring with minimal effort and a lot of cool technology. The solution is a Bluetooth device developed by VVFly, a technology startup based out of Shenzhen, China. It’s called Snore Circle.
Snore Circle looks like a standard Bluetooth earpiece. It is covered in soft silicone and designed to fit around the ear with minimal interference. The whole thing starts with an integrated microphone that allows the device to recognize when someone starts snoring.
From there, the science behind the device revolves around bone conduction. When snoring is recognized, the device begins to emit tiny vibrations that travel through the skull and stimulate the vagus nerve in the brain. This stimulation works to tighten the throat muscles and expand airways to allow for smoother breathing. At this stage, one can enter a deep, comfortable sleep with little to no snoring. Once no snoring is detected, the device is dormant in stand-by mode.
According to the company, there is a staged progression to the impacts of the device. On the first night of use the device learns to recognize the snoring; after a week of use the device develops a better effect on snoring with reduced frequency; after two weeks of being used, the device is supposed to have improved breathing and fully eliminated snoring (or close to it). It typically takes three days for the user to adapt to the device (most people don’t sleep with something hooked around their ear). The company does mention that during initial phases, users might be woken up occasionally throughout the night.
Snore Circle also has a companion mobile app to provide additional insights to the end users. Key components measured by the app include sleep quality, general sleep statistics (sleep stage durations), and performance statistics (snores stopped, success rate, durations). There is also social integration so users are able to compare their statistics with friends and family.
This version of Snore Circle is 62mm x 44mm x 13mm, weighs 18g, is made of ecological soft silicone, and uses Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. It’s compatible with iPhone 4S versions or later along with Android 4.3 devices or later. The battery is rated to last for two nights of use on a single charge. Each kit includes a main unit, two pairs of earplugs, a data cable, a users’ manual, and a one-year warranty. Oh ya, and perhaps it’s most appealing characteristic: there’s a 30-day money back guarantee.
VVFLY Electronics has raised almost $100,000 through their Indiegogo campaign; that’s almost 300% of their original goal and they still have about 3 weeks to go. Early bird pricing for the Snore Circle is $70 + shipping and the suggested retail price is $129. Units are planned to ship in November of this year.
