Sleep expert who helped create Night Shift and Bedtime departs Apple

Sleep researcher Roy J.E.M Raymann has departed Apple for the startup SleepScore Labs. MobileHealthNews has learned that Raymann will serve as the company’s Vice President of Sleep Science and Scientific Affairs.

Raymann’s LinkedIn profile states he helped develop the Night Shift and Bedtime features in iOS and Apple’s HealthKit and ResearchKit frameworks.

Prior to joining Apple, Raymann led sleep research at Philips where he wrote papers on mild skin warming as a non-pharmacological method of altering sleep quality and alertness.

His industry experience encompasses areas like specialized wearable devices, dedicated sleep-tracking sensors and non-pharmacological methods of improving sleep quality.

When Apple hired him back in 2014, observes speculated that Apple Watch would include built-in functions to let users track how well they slept at night. The wearable gadget debuted without any sleep-tracking features, but App Store offers a bunch of specialized sleep-tracking apps, like Sleep++ [review], HeartWatch, AutoSleep and others.

A joint venture between renowned surgeon and television host Dr. Oz, medical devices vendor ResMed and private equity firm Pegasus Capital Advisors, SleepScore Labs is a new San Diego-based company focused on helping people understand and improve their sleep.

From the company’s About page:

SleepScore Labs is currently in the process of examining how people sleep by compiling and analyzing the most comprehensive and accurate collection of consumer sleep data on the planet.

SleepScore Labs will use this data to deliver ultra-personalized insights, coaching, and validated solutions that enable you to make informed decisions about the behavioral and environmental factors that affect your sleep. Our goal is to help you get the best sleep of your life.

Raymann’s departure comes hot on the heels of Apple’s acquisition of Beddit, a sleep-tracking app available free on App Store. Beddit’s dedicated sleep-tracking accessory can be purchased via Apple Online Store for $150.