Imagine being offered a complimentary hotel stay with a unique twist - the catch being that your sleep would be monitored, and data from your body collected. This is precisely the proposition presented by a Japanese IT company as part of its innovative health promotion venture.
Analyzing Sleeping Patterns in Capsule Hotels
A prominent Japanese IT services company called NTT Data has unveiled its initiative to establish a capsule hotel designed to observe and analyze the sleep patterns of consenting guests.
Interesting Engineering reported that the company envisions leveraging sleep data to offer personalized health and wellness services while also selling anonymized data to diverse industries.
Situated on the inaugural floor of the NTT-owned Area Shinagawa building in Tokyo, the hotel is set to inaugurate in July 2024. This venture is a collaboration involving Nine Hours, a capsule hotel operator, and Fitbit, a wearable device manufacturer owned by Google.
The hotel will feature an array of sensor technologies, encompassing brain wave sensors, infrared cameras, sound-collecting microphones, and body movement sensors.
NTT Laboratories is in the process of developing a cutting-edge sensor capable of visualizing internal body rhythms by estimating core body temperature.
The company also plans to sell sleep improvement plans and dietary advice to hotel guests, using their sleep data to create personalized recommendations, as reported by Nikkei Asia. This means they'll offer guests practical tips and guidance to help them sleep better and make healthier food choices during their stay.
Retrieving Sleeping Data
Those choosing to participate in the sleep data collection and analysis service will be provided with a Fitbit device to wear throughout their stay. Additionally, guests will receive a personalized sleep analysis report containing tailored advice for optimizing their sleep environment.
The Messenger reported that NTT Data plans to share anonymized sleep data with manufacturers in the food, beverage, and consumer goods industries, as well as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.
This data can be utilized for product development and marketing purposes. It is essential to note that the company will rigorously eliminate personal information from the data before making it available for sale.
NTT Data places significant value on sleep data as a means of promoting health and preventing diseases. The company envisions offering "pre-symptomatic treatment" and online medical consultations based on the acquired, accumulated, and analyzed sleep data along with other personal information.
With the ambitious goal of obtaining sleep data from 10 million individuals globally by 2027, NTT Data plans to deploy its sleep technology in 30,000 hotel rooms. Additionally, the company aims to generate a revenue of 30 billion yen ($203 million) by 2030 through its novel health promotion business.
While Tokyo offers a plethora of attractions and experiences, staying in a capsule hotel can be a fun and distinctive way to spend a night or two. However, potential guests should be aware that, with their consent, they may be under observation while sleeping.
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