promise and fully recognize that a survey like this is self-select- ing and biased. But it sets the stage for clinical trials, which we hope will happen very soon as we raise the funding to be able to do so. HOW SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDERS WILL DEFINE THE FUTURE Based on the feedback from parents we’ve worked with, we’ve made changes to the second generation of our zPods® sleeping capsules. For example, many of the parts of the origi- nal bed broke easily during shipment, so we designed far more durable parts. The first bed took hours of difficult assembly time, so we made the bed easy to build, requiring only 20 to 30 minutes. Accessing the first bed to clean it and make the bed was very difficult because of how the front panel was designed. We simplified the design and created doors that could be easily removed for full access to the inside as needed. The new bed has speakers, and soon we’ll be able to control the bed environ- ment from outside of it using a smart device app. Enclosure is an exciting aspect to focus on when develop- ing the ideal sleep environment because within each enclosure we can add other features that affect the temperature, sound, lighting, and even smell of one’s sleep space. In the years to come, we’ll be adding sensors to our beds to detect sleep per- formance and then using those sensors to affect the environ- ment in a manner that enhances that performance. The big dream is that your bed will one day be able to respond to you as an individual, simulating your personal ideal with precision, even while you sleep so that you don’t need to think about it. Given all that is happening in artificial intelligence, we’re con- vinced that now is the time to start this project. One of the powerful lessons I’ve been learning while work- ing on zPods® is that any time you seek to empower a minority community that is often excluded from the mainstream, you end up finding solutions that have implications for a much broader audience than the one you set out to serve initially. In our mission to build the ideal sleep environment for people with SPDs who vary in their needs and preferences, we’ve had to be flexible, adaptive, and creative. We figure now that if we can help all these picky sleepers to get the best shuteye ever, we’ll certainly be able to help those of us whose sleep environ- ment needs are more basic. We’re still some distance off from realizing these dreams, but I’m excited about what we’ve accomplished so far. I’m excited whenever I see my son chilling in his bed and listening to his fa- vorite tunes. And I’m grateful that he’s sleeping better at night so that my wife and I can sleep a little better, too.
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www.closingthegap.com/membership | February / March, 2023 Closing The Gap © 2023 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
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