SOOON; The smart hourglass by Maarten S. from netherlands

PROBLEM
Depression , concentration problems and stress have never had so much impact on our society as it has now .
5 % of our population suffers from depression, that is 350.000.000 people! Imagine the difference it would make if everyone would be just a little bit more happy.

SOLUTION
How? Make people more aware of the nice things in live. Anticipation is the key: Building up the tension to intensify the good moment! With this Smart hourglass, you can set the time that the sand needs to go thru on your smartphone. This is a visual and interesting way to tell if you are getting closer to the moment, without actually knowing the exact time!

RESEARCH
Depression, concentration problems and stress. Three of the biggest health issues of modern time. It is estimated that almost half of the population suffer at least once in their lifetime from one of these problems.
Making milestones visible with the hourglass could help depressed people to look brighter towards the future. Concentration problems are just as common. Taking a certain amount of time ( for example 1 Hour to do a specific task ) could make it easier to concentrate, and less stressful.

TECHNOLOGY
Low Energy Bluetooth connects the Smartphone with the Hourglass. The middle part of the Hourglass houses the chip, a valve system to control the sand flow and a battery. The LED ring is used to communicate. The ring flashes green if you set a new time, and red if the time has passed. Can be Charged in the back with a small USB outlet incorporated in the LED ring. Easy to manufacture: Just 3 parts need to be produced.

TARGETGROUP
Everyone who wants to set a specific event as a milestone in the future. Kids who have problems spending some time on their homework, Elderly people looking forward to a visit… There are a lot of different user scenarios that could use the Hourglass as an element.

DESIGN
Taking the typical Hourglass shape as an inspiration, the sooon; Hourglass also incorporates a modern element. The double walls make it interesting to look at, and the middle part seems to float in mid air. Different color options for the middle part make it easily adaptable for each user. Resetting the Hourglass couldn’t be easier. Just turn it around like a normal Hourglass.