Human Evolution Bed®
Human Evolution Bed®
"Pursuing Comfortable Sleep" - This is not just our story.
Even our closest relatives, chimpanzees, are quite particular about their sleep.
Chimpanzees make a bed on tree branches with leaves and sleep on it.
And in this bed, there are many secrets hidden to make their sleep comfortable.
"Human Evolution Bed" was created based on their exquisite skills.
Please feel the gentle and comfortable feeling of being wrapped up in it.
The Human Evolution Bed first appeared in 2016 in Kyoto, Japan at the "Sleep Exhibition: A Cultural History of Sleep" held at the Kyoto University Museum. The main theme of the exhibition was "When, where, and how have humans been sleeping?".
Seven scholars researched and presented exhibits and explanations such as "A Map of Pillow Ethnic Groups" and "Decoding Dreams". From wooden pillows used by ethnic minorities in Africa, traditional European cradles, to automatic waking devices used by Japanese railway companies, the exhibition showcased a wide range of sleep-related items that reflect the diversity and evolution of sleep throughout history and around the world.
The "Human Evolution Bed" was one of the highlights of this unique exhibition. It represents both "ancient forms of sleep" that trace the history of human sleep, as well as "new forms of sleep" that symbolize diverse sleep cultures. This bed was introduced as a "bed that breaks free from existing concepts" and attracts attention to its unique design.
Kyoto University General Museum, Special exhibition, 2008.
Cultural History of Sleep
When, where, and how have humans been sleeping?
Date/ April 6th, 2016 (Wed) - June 26th, 2016 (Sun)
Location/ Kyoto University Museum
Organizers/ Kyoto University Museum, Center for African Area Studies Kyoto University
Co-organizer/ Non-profit Organization Sleep Culture Research Society
Supporters/ National Museum of Ethnology, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center, Iwata Corporation, World Sleep Congress
A wild chimpanzee in Africa. When they sleep, they make their beds by folding layers of branches and leaves on top of trees. The bed is a double-layer structure with a sturdy base and a soft mattress. The shape is an oval dish shape.
The researcher of the bed, Koichiro Zama (Associate Professor at Nagano Prefectural College of Nursing and Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Kyoto University's Centre for African Area Studies), lay down to "try a little sleep" and found it "the most comfortable bed I have ever had in my life! It's the best feeling I've ever had in my life! The top of the tree looks a little scary, but when you lie down, the dish-shaped hollows wrap around your body and the rocking of the tree is like a cradle. She fell asleep with a peaceful feeling.
This pleasant experience was the beginning of the development of the Human Evolution Bed.
Chimpanzees make beds every day. Chimpanzees have a lifespan of 40-50 years, so they make more than 10,000 beds in a lifetime. Yes, chimpanzees are "bed makers".
Making a bed takes only a few minutes. First, long branches are bent to form a sturdy base, and then twigs attached to the ends of the branches are torn off and stacked on top of each other. The many small branches and leaves are like a soft mattress. They lie down on them and sleep.
On occasion, a chimpanzee that is supposed to be lying on its bed wakes up with a start. Sometimes it will pick up a twig, place it on the bed and lie down again. They are obsessed with just one twig. That is how chimpanzees sleep.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)The apes, closely related to humans, are currently making their beds in trees. It is believed that the ancestors of chimpanzees and humans separated about 8-5 million years ago. And human ancestors, who were beginning to walk on two legs, are thought to have slept in beds made of wood until around 4.4 million years ago.
So when did we start sleeping in 'square', 'flat' and 'unshakable' beds like we do today? Given humanity's long evolutionary history, it seems like "only recently".
The bed on the tree where humans once slept. It was with thoughts of the romance of human evolution in mind that the Human Evolutionary Bed, an "old and new form of sleep", was born.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)When a chimpanzee sleeps sprawled out on a bed, its legs stick out from the bed. The slightly smaller oval shape reproduces that sense of size. When you throw your feet out to sleep, you will feel the pressure on your heels being released.
The oval shape also allows you to change the length from the head pillow to the foot pillow depending on the direction you lie down. Whether you're tall or short, try finding the most comfortable place for you by changing the direction you sleep.
The chimpanzee's bed on the tree rocks pleasantly when it turns over. Based on recorded footage, we recreated a 360-degree sway similar to that of a tree bed. The shaking is just like the cradle you felt when you were a child.
Another feature is that when you sit on the bed, it leans towards you. It's like "the bed is coming to pick me up." This makes getting in and out of bed easier.
Chimpanzee beds are neither low-resilience nor high-resilience, and are exquisitely soft. The secret is the twigs with lots of leaves. Each twig and each leaf has a small amount of elasticity, and together they support the body.
That comfort is recreated with a 100% feather mattress. The small elasticity of each lightly curved feather gently wraps and supports your entire body.
Chimpanzee beds are plate-shaped. The edges are raised and there are "pillows" in all directions. Taking this as a hint, the ``Human Evolution Bed'' also has pillows in all directions. The one at the head is the ``pillow'', the one at the feet is the ``foot pillow'', and the side edge is the ``body pillow''.
Thanks to this "pillow", you can lie on your back and take a sleeping position that relieves tension in your core, similar to when you are soaking in a hot spring. Of course, even if you lie on your side, the edges of the bed will gently hug your body.
In addition, by resting your body on the edge of this bed, you can tilt your body at a 45° angle, allowing you to sleep in a position that is not possible with a flat futon or bed. You can discover a new way to sleep.
To sleep safely on a tree, you need a stable base. Chimpanzees break and bend branches to create a sturdy base. Of course, the shape of the base is also “dish-shaped”. In the Human Evolution Bed, we recreated this shape by stretching linen belts vertically and horizontally around a boldly hollowed-out top plate.
This gently curved, solid base firmly supports your weak body from below.
The human evolution bed can be fine-tuned. You can change the height of the pillow by adjusting the linen belt to change the curve of the base, or by tapping the mattress to move the feathers inside.
The way you prefer to sleep will also change depending on how you spend the day, such as days when you exercise or do a lot of desk work. Why not follow the example of chimpanzees who create a comfortable sleeping space in just a few minutes and find the perfect sleeping space for you that day before going to bed?
The Good Design Award honors outstanding design. The Japan Institute of Design Promotion conducts the examination every year.
The ``Human Evolution Bed'' received the 2017 Good Design Award after being praised for ``referring to chimpanzee beds and proposing a completely new way of sleeping or sleeping comfort (excerpt)''. It was also selected as ``My Choice'' by graphic designer Kenya Hara, who served on the judging committee.
"Human Evolution Bed" was selected as a Featured Finalist of "IDEA2018" (International Design Excellence Awards) and registered in "IDEA Gallery". http://www.idsa.org/awards/idea/furniture-lighting/c-couch
IDEA is one of the most prestigious design awards in the world, sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America. The purpose is, of course, to inform the general public. In 2018, IDEA received over 1,870 entries from all over the world.
Kyoto has many attractive designs cultivated over 1200 years of history. They are still cited today and have led to new works and product development.
The Kyoto Design Award, sponsored by the Kyoto Design Association, aims to create a new design for Kyoto by using new design methods while preserving Kyoto's traditions and culture. The exhibition prototype for the "Nemuri Exhibition" held at the Kyoto University Museum in spring 2016 was selected for the 2016 Kyoto Design Award.
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