Ever tried to sleep while looking like you aren’t? We’ve all done it at one time or another. The Vertical Bed takes the pretending to new heights by creating a full contraption that’s supposed to let you sleep comfortably while standing on two feet.
If you’ve ever wanted to sleep standing but could never figure out how to do it, this thing could serve as your basic training kit. Even better, it collapses into a suitcase and assembles in a jiffy, so you can walk around busy areas of the city and set up for a nap anytime you feel like it. Narcoleptics of the world, your prayers have been answered.
The Vertical Bed includes an upright armature that lets you lean back without falling over. This early version only works with subway ventilation grating (it attaches to keep you upright) though, so you can’t exactly pull it out whenever you feel like it. To make sure nothing distracts your slumber, the set includes noise cancelling headphones, opaque sunglasses to block out light and a freestanding umbrella (in case it’s too sunny or it rains or pigeons like to fly over you).
To prove that it works, the creators conducted an experiment right in the middle of New York, with their test subject catching 40-minute naps. It’s really stupid and dorky-looking, neither of which distracts from its innate awesomeness. Why bother dragging cardboard to an alley to catch some sleep when homeless folks can catch a rest right in the middle of a sidewalk?
For some reason, I have a strange, sneaking suspicion this is one of those inane things that actually has a shot of making the market. Needless to say, I want one when it does.
[Substitute Materials via Gizmodo]