computer science

Zeo, Inc.

Zeo, Inc. is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Zeo, Inc. rather than just read about it. In short: Zeo, Inc., formerly Axon Labs, was a private company founded by Brown University students, established December 29, 2003 in Providence, Rhode Island and later headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Founding The founders and board members include Daniel Rothman, Ben Rubin, Eric Shashoua, Jason Donahue, Terri Alpert from Stony Creek Brands, David Barone from Sleep Labs, Inc. and Jeff Stibel from Web.com.

Key takeaways

Zeo, Inc. belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Zeo, Inc. to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Zeo, Inc. from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Zeo, Inc., formerly Axon Labs, was a private company founded by Brown University students, established December 29, 2003 in Providence, Rhode Island and later headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Founding The founders and board members include Daniel Rothman, Ben Rubin, Eric Shashoua, Jason Donahue, Terri Alpert from Stony Creek Brands, David Barone from Sleep Labs, Inc. and Jeff Stibel from Web.com.

Products Zeo Inc. developed a smart alarm clock with sleep monitor (e.g., REM). Sleep states could be used to sound a wake-up alarm only when the sleeper was in the light stages of sleep, likely to awake more refreshed. Details of sleep could be uploaded to the MyZeo Web site, where they were stored, with detailed historical charts of sleep patterns downloadable, and email suggestion on improving sleep could be sent. The state of sleep was detected by a headband, essentially comprising three long-lasting electrodes made of electrically conductive fabric and a wireless unit, that transmitted data to a Zeo bedside clock unit or Apple iPhone which displayed data and sounded the wake alarm. The company also developed and marketed a personal sleep coaching Web service which allowed users of the clock to upload their sleep data, then measure and analyze their sleep patterns; this was later made available without charge.

Closure By late 2012 the company was apparently in financial trouble, and it closed down in early 2013, although this was not officially reported at the time. The Web site initially became inaccessible and the Zeo Community Forum became 'currently unavailable and down for maintenance'. By May 2013 the content of the MyZeo website had been removed and the URL was for sale.

Effect on users Although the services provided by the MyZeo Web site and emails have stopped, functions that do not rely on the web site or Zeo's support staff are still functional. These include: sleep-state-dependent functionality, the intelligent alarm, displaying information on the last night's sleep (time to fall asleep, time awake, time in light, REM, and deep sleep and producing graphs of sleep states as function of time. The proprietary headband, which was recommend to be replaced about every three months, is no longer available from Zeo, Inc. At least some of the assets were acquired by ResMed in Ireland, widely known for their CPAP machines. For users determined to continue to get use out of their units, there are ways of keeping them working. Detailed plans on making Zeo-compatible replacement headband sensors were published and widely reported. Users had reported before the company closed that disposable adhesive gel ECG electrodes with offset press-stud connections worked successfully, better than the Zeo headband. Software and procedures were made available to store sleep data without the encryption used by Zeo, and to display historical sleep data, a service previously available only by uploading data to the MyZeo Web site. Some software which had been available from Zeo to developers, while no longer available from the discontinued Zeo Web site or the Wayback Machine, was circulated; for example a data decoder library. During the company's existence ZeoScope software using the decoder library, which allowed the Zeo to be used as a biofeedback device with EEG display and functionality related to lucid dreaming, had been written by an independent developer and distributed without charge under the Apache licence; it did not use facilities of the Zeo Web site, and continued to work after the company closed.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zeo, Inc.

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zeo, Inc. claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Zeo, Inc. before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Zeo, Inc. ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Zeo, Inc.

In research: Zeo, Inc. appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Zeo, Inc. in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Zeo, Inc. is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2003 establishments in Rhode Island, 2013 disestablishments in Massachusetts, Activity trackers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zeo, Inc. outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Zeo, Inc. in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Zeo, Inc. means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Zeo, Inc. out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zeo, Inc. in simple terms?

Zeo, Inc., formerly Axon Labs, was a private company founded by Brown University students, established December 29, 2003 in Providence, Rhode Island and later headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Founding The founders and board members include Daniel Rothman, Ben Rubin, Eric Shashoua, Jason Dona…

Why does Zeo, Inc. matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Zeo, Inc.?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Zeo, Inc..