Saturday, March 26 2005 12:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Massachusetts (US): An Indian scientist has developed an innovative 'hide-and-seek' alarm clock, which would force even the laziest person to wake up from sleep.

Gauri Nanda, a 25-year-old scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, calls her discovery a "clocky that's designed to get sleepyheads moving".

When the snooze button is pressed, the clock rolls to a hiding place where it lies in wait for 10 minutes before ringing again.

It chooses a new hiding place every time and will force even the laziest person to wake up and search for it.

Nanda's 'clocky' looks like a roll of toilet paper with wheels attached at both ends.

"People are always talking about finding a gentle way to wake up. I wanted something that's annoying like a dog, that forces you to get up, but that you love even though it's annoying," Nanda was quoted as saying by the York Daily News.

Nanda said that she is in the process of getting the new creation patented.

'Clocky' should hit the stores in about a year, she added.