Japanese Pillows

I've finally figured out why the Japanese are so good at innovation. They stick electronics into things where electronics aren't supposed to be.

This time around, the crazy Japanese have invented a pillow called "Sleep Doctor". The pillow has sensors to analyze sleep patterns and then provides advice and encouragement on a miniature screen.

I cry myself to sleep every night, so I personally don't need the pillow, but apparently, sleep deprivation is a huge issue in Japanese society. According to the article:

Japan has one of the highest rates of sleep deprivation in the world because of long working hours. A recent study said sleep deprivation and insomnia costs the Japanese economy 3.5 trillion yen (30.7 billion dollars) a year, mainly in lost productivity.

I'm not an economist, but I'm pretty sure the "lost productivity" actually stems from the fact that they're spending time inventing pillows with freaking sensors.