(YouTube Link)
Trying to ignore the alarm isn't going to work with the Princess in a Pea Alarm Clock (PPAC). Jeff Saltzman rigged an air compressor to lift up one side of a mattress when it's time to wake up. If the sleeper doesn't get up, s/he'll get thrown to the floor.
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UPDATE 12/14/09: I've swapped out the video. Thanks, GlitchEnzo!
I love the name Princess and the Pea alarm clock. Good find, John!
Anyway it goes, someone is going to woken up XD
I do like this idea, but i'd have been more impressed if there were an actual testee in the bed. I also agree with felixthecat; if this thing is using a ball to literally LIFT you awake, something is indeed going to wind up broken. Possibly comatose.
His gadgets included an "early-rising bed," which raised the sleeper to an upright position,
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/yosemite.html