None of us like the sound of an alarm clock. It breaks our pleasant sleep, so when we wake up, we usually feel irritated. These unconventional designs will help you liberate energy – you need to literally whack them to turn it off.

Hammer by Jorge Ros Gisbert (also header image)

To shut off the Hammer alarm clock – just as its name suggests – you must grab it and slam it down on the rubberized base. Designer Jorge Ros Gisbert, based in Valencia, Spain, wanted to create a way for people to wake up feeling strong and empowered each morning.

Hammer by Jorge Ros Gisbert

With a shape that is preceded by the function, the hammer stimulates the user and offers a perfect balance between simplicity and power. Unlike most of contemporary alarm clocks that are focused on versatility and feature numerous functions, the Hammer is designed around a simple action that helps you liberate energy and start the day with determination.

Mr. Wakey by Sophie Ng

Developed by Hong Kong based designer Sophie Ng, Mr. Wakey will definitely take you frustration of waking up because it can be turned off by bouncing or throwing.

Mr. Wakey by Sophie Ng

Shaped like a bulbous roly-poly, the clock always stays upright and is suppose to taunt you into waking up. It is made out of soft silicone and can take all sorts of impact, while mini crash sensors on the inside will detect the force, converting it into points. To silence the alarm, you need to throw it twice and hard enough to get a certain score, which is a great way to help user get out of bed and channel your irritation in a constructive way.

Mr. Wakey by Sophie Ng

When alarm is ringing, the head part of Mr. Wakey will glow with a bright light on the inside to attract your attention, in case you fling it into some dark corner. This function also enables you to use it as a nighlight.

Nidra by Varenya Raj

Berlin-based designer Varenya Raj has created a bedside radio that helps people monitor their mood when they wake up and plays news based on this mood. The design features a plush button on one end of the clock and a soft carpet, not unlike dog fur, on another.

Nidra by Varenya Raj

If you wake up in a resentful mood, feel free to whack the furry cushion part and Nidra (which means sleep in Hindi) will play positive news to alleviate the morning. When you wake up in a good mood, stroke the carpet, and it will play news from different categories.

Nidra by Varenya Raj

On the inside, the Nidra contains a button, a force-sensing resistor, a speaker, and an Arduino UNO computer that powers the device. The button’s designed to be pretty large and cushioned so it can bear the force of a punch, while the FSR is covered with a soft cloth. The interactions are inputted and received by Arduino sketch and then goes to Processing sketch where it connects with RSS feed of happy news websites to fetch and play-back news.

Created as the ultimate productivity tool, the device logs the mood every day and prints it out using a built-in thermal printer at the end of each month to introspect about work-life balance and other factors to make informed decisions. This enables Nidra to help you chart your sleep schedule as well as mental and emotional wellbeing.