Smart Beds Rely on Cloud Computing, Leaving Sleepers Cold and Disrupted

Sleepers were left out in the cold, literally, when a cloud-computing outage affecting Amazon Web Services (AWS) disrupted the service of smart-bed system Eight Sleep. The outage, which took down a range of websites and services, including banks, gaming sites, and entertainment services, also affected people trying to get some shut-eye. Eight Sleep's smart mattress covers, which track sleep patterns and provide "zero-gravity rest," require a cloud connection to function properly. When the outage occurred, users were left unable to adjust the temperature or access their sleep data, leaving some to sleep on the heated mattress all night.

Key Takeaways:

• Eight Sleep's smart mattress covers, which include temperature-regulating covers and pillow covers, rely on cloud computing to control the bed's temperature and track sleep patterns.
• The outage affected some users, including Isaiah Granet, who received the Pod as a gift two weeks ago and typically got "phenomenal sleep."
• Eight Sleep's CEO, Matteo Franceschetti, apologized for the outage and stated that the company was working on fixes.
• The outage highlighted the dependency on cloud services for smart home devices, with some customers expressing frustration that they were not aware of the need for a cloud connection to use the product.
• Eight Sleep introduced the Pod in 2019, a time of rising interest in using technology to track sleep patterns, contributing to the popularity of wearable devices like Fitbits and Apple Watches.
• The system includes covers with multiple models costing thousands of dollars each, and a , which can include features like automatic temperature adjustments, vibration, and thermal alarms.
• Some customers, like Jason Jin, were unaware of the need for a cloud connection and were left without the ability to control the temperature or access their sleep data.
• Eight Sleep has since implemented "Backup Mode," which allows the cover to communicate directly with the smart cover over a Bluetooth connection in the absence of cloud or wireless internet.
• Some customers, like Rohan Nagabhirava, a graduate student of artificial intelligence and engineering, are drawn to the company's smart-bed systems and are willing to pay a subscription for a mattress to optimize their health and sleep quality.

Statistics:

• Eight Sleep's smart mattress covers require a cloud connection to function properly.
• The outage affected some users, including Isaiah Granet, who received the Pod as a gift two weeks ago.
• Matteo Franceschetti, the CEO of Eight Sleep, stated that the outage had affected some users and that the company was working on fixes.
• The outage highlighted the dependency on cloud services for smart home devices, with some customers expressing frustration that they were not aware of the need for a cloud connection to use the product.
• Eight Sleep introduced the Pod in 2019, a time of rising interest in using technology to track sleep patterns.
• The system includes covers with multiple models costing thousands of dollars each.
• The outage occurred on Monday, with some users experiencing disruptions to their sleep.
• Eight Sleep has since implemented "Backup Mode," which allows the cover to communicate directly with the smart cover over a Bluetooth connection in the absence of cloud or wireless internet.

Sources:

• The New York Times
• Isaiah Granet, founder of Bland AI
• Matteo Franceschetti, CEO of Eight Sleep
• Jason Jin, founder of Zest Labs
• Rohan Nagabhirava, graduate student of artificial intelligence and engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
• Jeenah Moon, The New York Times