Research by The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, the National Sleep Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation indicates that many in today's society are sleep-deprived, a condition which has potentially dangerous consequences. An estimated 40 million people suffer from various chronic sleep disorders, and yet another 20 to 30 million suffer from shorter duration sleep-related problems. Fatigue related to a lack of sleep has caused over 65 billion dollars in damage through court litigations for damages, persons harmed, lives lost, and property damaged.

Whether problems staying awake are due to these sleep disorders, or because of other reasons, such as lack of motion, or simple boredom, the Wristband Sleep Detector (WSD) offers an affordable means of awakening students, drivers, pilots, security guards and other users during their important activities. 'Sleep A to Zzz' (a member of the Think Quest network) provides data showing that a drop heart rate occurs just before sleep begins. By calibration to the user's normal heart rate and utilization of pulse monitoring technology already in use, the WSD learns to detect this change, and at the user's choice, emits a loud tone or vibration to prevent him or her from falling asleep. Additionally, the WSD will have standard watch features (such as a clock and alarm) available to increase its functionality further.

While getting proper sleep is the best answer to sleep deprivation, for many people in these fast-paced, stressful times, this is not always possible. When a good rest is not available, the WSD can be there to keep users more aware and alert when they need it most.