NYC Resistor member Holly Hudson built an alarm clock that wakes you up with light instead of sound:

I’ve been wanting a sunrise lamp for a long time, but I’ve never found the perfect one. Having a free summer, and the knowledge that I would be starting my first full time job in many years in the fall motivated me to actually make something happen. I’m glad I had the whole summer because this project had several learning curves for me — it was my very first electronics project, my first chance to learn how to use a laser cutter, and my first foray back into programming in many years. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to doing more projects like this!

The way it works is that an Adafruit Monochron clock keeps track of time and activates a RGB LED strip when it’s time to wake up. It begins with a dim blue light at first, increasing in intensity, before triggering a regular floor lamp via a powertail switch.