Cambridge Scientists Create AI-Powered Pyjamas to Enhance Beauty Sleep Quality
Cambridge Scientists Develop AI-Enhanced Pyjamas to Improve Sleep Health
By Xantha Leatham, Deputy Science Editor | Updated: 22:21 GMT, 18 Feb 2025
For many, slipping into pyjamas is the ultimate comfort ritual after a long day. Now, Cambridge researchers have taken this cozy habit to the next level by creating “smart pyjamas” embedded with AI sensors to monitor sleep quality and help reduce risks of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes.
The Problem With Traditional Sleep Monitoring
Poor sleep is linked to chronic health issues, but tracking disorders like sleep apnea often requires uncomfortable clinic visits, sticky electrodes, or bulky home devices. Wearables like smartwatches lack accuracy for diagnosing sleep disruptions, according to the team.
Enter the solution: washable, fabric-based pyjamas equipped with ultra-sensitive sensors and artificial intelligence.
The smart pyjamas’ collar holds graphene-based sensors to detect breathing, snoring, and movements (Image: University of Cambridge).
How It Works
The pajamas’ collar features flexible, printed sensors that detect vibrations from breathing, snoring, or irregular movements. Machine learning processes this data to identify six sleep states—including mouth breathing and sleep apnea—with 98.6% accuracy, even filtering out routine tossing and turning.
“Our goal was to create something comfortable enough for nightly use yet precise enough to provide meaningful insights,” said lead researcher Professor Luigi Occhipinti. “This technology could alert users to changes in their sleep patterns, prompting timely medical consultations.”
Beyond the Lab: Health Benefits at Home
The garment, detailed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, aims to make sleep monitoring accessible. By detecting issues early, it could help prevent long-term conditions exacerbated by poor sleep, such as cardiovascular disease and depression.
Sensors embedded in the collar analyze sleep vibrations without discomfort (Image: University of Cambridge).
Why This Matters
With six in ten Britons changing into loungewear immediately upon arriving home, the team believes their innovation could seamlessly integrate into daily life. Unlike restrictive clinic equipment or intrusive wearables, these pyjamas prioritize comfort and practicality.
“Sleep is foundational to health,” Occhipinti emphasized. “Reliable at-home monitoring empowers individuals to take charge of their well-being proactively.”
The Future of Sleep Tech
The researchers envision these smart pyjamas becoming a new benchmark in sleep health, offering a user-friendly alternative to outdated methods. As AI and material science evolve, such innovations could revolutionize how we approach preventative care—one good night’s sleep at a time.
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