11:05am UK, Wednesday March 23, 2005

It's the ultimate early morning alarm call for those too tired or lazy to get out of bed.

Scientists have built an intelligent alarm clock that runs and hides after the snooze button is pressed so that the sleeper has to get out of bed to find it in the bedroom to turn it off again.

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Alarm clock

The 'Clocky' clock does not give the restless a five minute break and then an opportunity to turn it off again for another five minutes by using the snooze button repeatedly.

Instead it zooms into action.

It rolls off the bedside table and uses its wheels drive off and find a hiding place somewhere in the room.

It is also programmed to go to a different hiding place each time it is used so there would be no chance of throwing a pillow at it to cover it up.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston, also claim that their invention will motivate the worst sleep-in offenders whose brain will be forced to become awake and alert.