IP Requirement: Emory IP

Experience Requirement:

– Mechanical Design

– Rapid Prototyping

Sleep is critical for healing, but hospital pillows are generally low quality. Furthermore, pillow firmness is very person specific. To improve the quality of sleep we propose the Healing Pillow, a sleep pillow with customizable firmness using a pneumatic core with a memory foam outer shell. The core can be pumped or deflated to meet the firmness needs of the patient while the outer shell remains a comfortable head rest. 

Current solutions include multiple pillows or stacking blankets underneath the pillow, but it’s unclear if these interventions result in a more comfortable pillow. Outside of the hospital, many “adjustable” pillows exist but are composed of memory foam material that can be added or subtracted to a pillowcase. The healing pillow would be the first adjustable pillow using a pneumatic core that would provide for unlimited firmness options.