Unless you're really old, or one of those terrible people who's obnoxiously perky at the crack of dawn, waking up in the morning sucks. The cruel siren of your alarm clock. The repeated slap of the snooze button. It's a painful process. But some Dutch developers are aiming to change that, with the iwaku, a new clam-shaped lamp that might very well transform the way you start your day.
Syncing via Bluetooth using a proprietary alarm clock app — similar to SleepCycle — that harnesses data from your phone's accelerometer to monitor your sleep cycle during the night, it will begin to slowly illuminate when you're in the lightest sleep phase (during a preset time parameter). The whole idea being that you'll rise in a much more natural and peaceful way, versus a holy crap-I-overslept-and-now-must-make-a-Sophie's choice-decision-between-showering-or-getting dressed panic.
If you'd prefer not to sleep with your phone lying on the bed, you can also simply use it as a light alarm, where it reaches maximum brightness at a designated wake time.
But this $300 system is no one-trick pony. If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or simply need a boost of energy in the winter, sit in a room with it at full brightness and it'll treat you to some nice, hot light therapy.