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If you’ve ever used a pillow spray or lotion designed for sleep, you understand the power a scent can have while resting. So does he Kimbaa new sleep technology company, the clinically validated, AI-powered Kimba device is now available for pre-order in the US. The Kimba device tracks your health metrics to release scents during snooze, with the goal of guiding you to a deeper, more restorative sleep without the need for pills, the company said in a press release.
Unlike wearables that passively track your sleep, Kimba seeks to actively improve it. It does this through built-in ambient sensors that monitor breathing patterns, movement, room disturbances, light levels and snoring, along with the ability to connect to wearable devices such as whoop, Oura ring, Apple watch, Fitbit and wearable devices by Garmin. It then delivers personal scents using three capsules contained in the device.
Kimba was founded by Ben Foxbrunner, a former Special Forces commander who dealt with PTSD and chronic insomnia after suffering a near-fatal injury. Sleep and brain science researchers, including experts in smell and neuroscience Anat ArziThe holder of a doctorate in neurobiology helped develop the Kimba device.
“The impact of sensory input during sleep is important,” Arzi said in a statement. “Olfactory stimulation is uniquely useful for this because it can affect brain activity without waking the individual.”
Inside Kimba you will find three scents.
Once Kimba launches, I plan to test the product to see if it lives up to its promises and its price tag of about $600 per year.
It begins with a sleep assessment
It all starts with a sleep assessment on the Kimba app. This assessment helps the sleeper “understand their sleep challenges, goals, preferences and lifestyle factors,” Foxbrunner told CNET. Those who pre-order Kimba will undergo a sleep assessment to create a personalized sleep profile and decide which of the three scent capsules they will receive first.
There are currently 12 water-based, plant-derived fragrance formulas packaged in specially scented capsules that are replaced every three months. Scents include Soft Blue, made with Roman chamomile to support sleep onset; Golden Grove, made with Austrian sandalwood to ground the body; and Lemon Calm, made with Bulgarian lemon balm (also known as lemon balm) to reduce anxiety.
New pods are scheduled to ship before they need to be replaced, and these shipments are part of the Kimba membership.
According to Fuxbruner, the pre-order price of $299 includes the Kimba device, access to the app, a six-month membership with personal fragrance delivery and free shipping. After that, you can continue receiving the scents through your pre-order membership for the same discounted price of $299 every six months (about $49.90 per month). This works out to about $600 per year.
The Kimba app displays your sleep data and the scents that have been used to help you sleep.
AI uses your data to choose scents for your sleep
After the sleep assessment, once you fall asleep, Kimba will monitor nighttime health metrics, including heart rate variability, movement, breathing patterns, and data from wearable devices. Fuxbruner explained that it uses its adaptive AI to analyze this data and determine when, what and how much scent to deliver, and to make adjustments throughout the night to improve recovery, sleep continuity and depth.
Kimba’s machine learning models “learn how sleep patterns evolve over time and vary between individuals using physiological signals from Kimba’s wearables and sensor systems,” Foxbrunner said. “Because Kimba’s goal is measurable: improving sleep quality, continuity, recovery, and cognitive performance, Kimba can continuously evaluate and improve its models based on real-world results.”
In other words, the more you use the Kimba system, the more personalized your scent experience will become.
New scents are delivered every three months
During the first few months of use, Kimba establishes a baseline using information from the onboarding questionnaire, sleep data collected from a wearable device and the use of Kimba’s built-in sensors. The device doesn’t use cameras but can detect sounds associated with sleep, such as snoring.
“The system is designed to filter out only specific sleep-related signals, collecting only the information necessary to create personalized sleep insights and scent recommendations,” Foxbrunner said. He said that conversations and other audio recordings are not recorded, stored or retained.
While collecting data, the system identifies patterns between certain combinations of scents and positive sleep outcomes, such as longer periods of deep sleep or fewer awakenings during the night.
Then, every quarter, Kimba users will receive updated scent recommendations, and before shipping, they can review those scents and why they were approved in the Kimba app.
Aromas are released from the top of the device.
Kimba Privacy Policy
All data is encrypted in transit and while in the Kimba ecosystem, including the device and cloud infrastructure, Foxbrunner said.
Kimba’s privacy and security practices comply with HIPAA and international requirements ISO 27701 Privacy management principles. The data is only used to personalize and improve your sleep experience, and is not sold or shared with third parties for advertising purposes.
Current and future research
Arzi conducted a study with 50 participants over 48 nights and found that Kymba improved their sleep quality and cognitive performance. These results are scheduled to be presented at conferences later this year.
Under the supervision of a sleep expert Peretz LaVeyKymba is developing two additional clinical studies: one using polysomnography (PSG, also known as a sleep study) to evaluate physiological sleep outcomes, and another focused on mental health and PTSD to explore Kymba’s impact on sleep and recovery.
You can register to pre-order at kimba.ai. Shipping will begin this fall.
