Popular 'SwayBed' Sleep Bed Using Bus Napping Principle
Notable Technology of 'Mongata' Moving at 10cm Intervals and 0.25Hz Frequency
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] If you felt refreshed after dozing off for just about 15 minutes on the subway or bus, it is because you fell into a deep sleep thanks to ‘vibration.’ This was proven by a paper published in 2011 by the Sleep Research Center at the University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland, in the world-renowned journal ‘Cell.’ The center also announced research results in 2014 through the ‘Swing Bed Study’ showing that a rocking bed helps with deep sleep.
Mongata’s ‘Sway Bed’ is a bed made using this principle. Just as a baby falls into a deep sleep through repetitive movements in a cradle or a parent’s arms, the bed moves side to side and the mattress vibrates to help the user achieve restful sleep.
In 2015, Mongata participated in clinical trials conducted by the Sleep Health Center at Severance Hospital with a prototype. The clinical results led the center to state, “Mongata’s Sway Bed helps stabilize heartbeats and stimulate the vestibular system through sway motion and sleep vibration, which are key elements in aiding sleep, allowing for comfortable deep sleep,” and evaluated that “compared to regular beds, it results in about 52 minutes more deep sleep on average per day.”
Sway motion is a technology that moves with a 10 cm interval and a vibration frequency of 0.25 hertz (Hz). Mongata reproduced the University Hospital of Geneva’s research results, which showed that deep sleep can be achieved when a bed implements this interval and vibration frequency, with its own technology.
Despite high expectations, the Sway Bed released in 2016 was ignored in the market. Bed companies hesitated to supply, saying, “Motion beds or recliner beds don’t sell well, so how could a ‘Sway Bed’ sell?” Mongata CEO Jung Tae-hyun shared his feelings at the time, saying, “It was an internationally verified technology with excellent clinical results from domestic hospitals, so I thought it would sell well once launched, but the reality was harsh.”
After struggling to supply four beds to a postpartum care center in Seoul, technical challenges such as increasing noise with longer usage time were discovered. Mongata persistently improved the technology with support from the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA) for R&D in 2015 and 2020.
In 2018, Mongata developed its own motor and noise-canceling driver, enabling production of products with noise levels not exceeding 25 decibels (dB) even after years of use. Considering that the usual noise level in a soundproof room used for recording is 20 dB, the bed became quiet enough to be inaudible even when listened to attentively late at night. At the same time, the popularity of sleep beds due to COVID-19 and motion beds featured in TV dramas led to increased attention on the Sway Bed.
With the product’s enhanced technical completeness receiving favorable reviews, Mongata beds became essential items in major postpartum care centers in Seoul in 2019. In 2020, recognizing its technology and business potential, Mongata attracted Series A investment from Hyundai Motor Group, and bed companies also reached out. When an experiential showroom opened in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, last March, visitors flocked in, and order reservations surged. The main customer base is women in their 40s and 50s going through menopause. The beds will be supplied to Tempur in July and to Shinsegae Casa and Hi-Mart starting in September. Additional contracts with two to three companies are also underway.
CEO Jung said, “For individual customers, more than 30 have already made reservations through September, and the number of people waiting for order reservations is gradually increasing,” adding, “We plan to sell 100 units by the end of this year and 200 units monthly next year, aiming for monthly sales of 1 billion KRW.” He expressed confidence, saying, “Since investment institutions have already verified the marketability and direction, we will focus on marketing to show results.”
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