Samsung And Cheil Give You The Power To Save The World As You Sleep

We all know our smartphone apps can help us shop for a bargain, check out the latest LOLcat and avoid getting lost in the dodgy part of town, but few can lay claim to helping cure cancer! Employing the sort of tech normally confined to sci-fi, Cheil Worldwide have partnered with the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna to create a unique alarm clock app for Samsung called Power Sleep – unique because it utilises small bits of each mobile's CPU to power a large 'supercloud computer' that assists researchers all over the world. 
 
Distributed on the Android android devices, the free app enables users to simply turn it on by setting an alarm clock when going to sleep. While the user sleeps, the smartphone 'works' for a good cause by contributing its unused processing power to scientific research. Small packets of data, no more than 1 megabyte in size are sent out from the research lab servers and returned again after the mobile devices have performed their calculations.
 
Cleverly eschewing any consumer worries by promising a complete avoidance of personal data, only operating when the phone is charged and on WiFi and dealing with tiny, unnoticeable pieces of data, the app is a genuinely innovative and well-intentioned piece of tech that smartly allows people to do good without needing to lift a finger (the best kind of doing good!). We chatted to Chief Operating Officer of Cheil Austria Claus Adams and Creative Director of Cheil Austria Dian Warsosumarto about the app, its origins and its implications.


 
Where did the idea for the 'Power Sleep' app come from?
 
The idea came up in a creative review, when our team in Vienna was working on Samsung's 'Launching People' initiative. During the inspirational sessions we used a couple of Cheil case studies as a creative springboard like 'Bridge of Life' from our colleagues in Seoul and the 'Free the Forced' from Cheil Frankfurt. These two ideas, which demonstrated our commitment to the community, were set as our benchmark to reach. We feel that PowerSleep might sit in the very centre of these efforts and our belief to create 'ideas that can move society'.
 
Can you talk us through, in layman's terms, how the tech works?
 
'Power Sleep' functions like an alarm clock. When you go to sleep and after setting your alarm the Power Sleep app starts its work, by connecting your smartphone or tablet to the SIMAP server (Similarity Matrix of Proteins) at the University of Vienna, turning it into one part of a big network computer for scientific research. Power Sleep uses the BOINC platform (Berkley University), a technology for distributed computing. It utilizes your smartphone´s processor to calculate small data packages that you receive from the SIMAP server. It takes between 30 minutes to 1 hour to finish the task. When it´s done, the app sends the results back to the server and receives a new one. When your alarm rings, the process ends. So the longer you sleep, the more data packages can be calculated.
 
Was it important to package the app up with something useful for the user, like an alarm clock?
 
Right from the beginning we focused on one question – how can we make it easy for a wider crowd to embrace and participate in a crowd-sourced donation platform? Although there have been similar initiatives in the recent past like Seti@home etc. they mostly appealed to a very tech-savvy, even geeky fanbase. We asked ourselves how we could put our own twist on this fascinating technology and make it understandable for everyone. And then we tackled the problem how we could make it as easy as possible for everyone to jump in for a good cause, without asking them to go through additional hassle in their daily routine. So, yes the alarm clock is in our opinion the game changer which makes this fascinating technology embraceable for an 'average' consumer on a daily basis.


 
Were there concepts where this wasn't an element?
 
In the beginning of the project we were thinking of adding a gamification element to the app. But then we changed our minds, as we realized that people have an inborn urge to do good and that the feeling you get out of doing so can be more gratifying than receiving a badge or likes. We only had to add a plausible function to integrate it seamlessly into people´s lives.
 
Who were you targeting with the project? I'm guessing the ideal would be to have it on every handset.
 
Our main focus was on Austrian Samsung users. But as the idea evolved we realized that we had to invite all Android users to become part of this donation project. Thanks to our client Samsung Austria, Power Sleep is therefore available for everybody, everywhere and free of charge.
 
How important was it to make sure the tech did nothing to the detriment of the user (i.e. not accessing personal details, only working on wifi with a full battery)? Do you think that it takes a lot for people to trust software like this, which they might not understand?
 
The data protection issue was the most critical part in our development as research showed us that consumers are more and more suspicious towards mobile technology/apps. Don't forget a cell phone is a quite a private device. All your photos, contacts and music somehow your whole social life is inside that device. Even if consumers are using apps from social networks and allowing them to get access to a lot of private data they were suspicious to donate their processing power. We had to ensure to get rid of that barrier and communicate clearly that Power Sleep only uses the hardware of your device. No hidden data traps, no additional cost, no bit-coining etc.


 
Do you think it's important that brands such as Samsung use their clout to create technologies that this? Does it feel good creating something that has such a positive outcome?
 
In today's world of similarities I truly believe that it is essential for global brands to define their idealistic world view. And if you are a technology brand like Samsung it is somehow natural to create new connection points with your consumer. Inviting them to participate in initiatives like Power Sleep and to become an active part of a collective movement. To find a cure for cancer or Alzheimer by just activating your alarm clock is something that everybody can feel good about, including us.
 
What are the possibilities for the technology?
 
I believe that there is a great demand for this technology in many areas. There are a lot of possibilities as there are lots of projects that demand a great amount of computing power - from science to society and even in the creative industry.
 
What sort of research will the app aid?
 
The exciting thing about SIMAP, which broadly speaking is a database for proteins, is that it has touch-points in all areas from basic research from medical to ecological research. Cancer and Alzheimer are just two striking examples of the many fields of application. We need to know more about the functions of proteins in order to understand these diseases. Researcher need to compare proteins with one another on a molecular basis and to analyse whether a particular protein, which we might understand in mice, also appears in a similar disease situation in humans or how it may differ.


 
What's the benefit for Samsung?
 
With Power Sleep, Samsung Austria is taking an important step towards Samsung's global initiative 'Launching People'. People are at the very centre of Launching People, that´s why Samsung's primary objective is to promote or unfold the potential of each and every individual through technology, allowing them to realise their dreams. Professor Rattei is one of these people. He has dedicated himself to the study of proteins with the assistance of sophisticated database systems and thus to the battle against diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer. Power Sleep allows Samsung to help his team to tackle their objectives in a new and innovative way. In addition to developing the Power Sleep app, Samsung is supporting this good cause via a whole spectrum of measures aimed at encouraging people in Austria to become part of the initiative.
 
What's up next for you?
 
Convincing people to download the app is one thing, but we have to ensure that they stay with the project donating their processing power constantly. If we succeed with this I do believe that there is great potential to add another layer to the cause. It definitely has the potential to evolve and hopefully become a sort of processing-donation-movement for the better good of society.