A multi-sense approach is the right way to get someone up in the morning. At the predetermined moment the alarm should open your curtains, turn on all the lights, blast heat to make you uncomfortable under your sheets, play your CD or MP3, and start brewing coffee to fill the room with the appropriate aroma.

wasn't this common on the Jetsons?

I have an alarm light that gradually lights up until it reaches full power at the alarm set time. The claim is that your body is programed to respond to the "dawn".

This concept is already available. I work in the curtain industry in the UK and several electric motor options are available. They have remote controls, light sensors and the new versions have timers.

This is very easy to implement. I was a representative for the $3000 'Butler in a Box' home automation system in the 80's. It relied on a simple Radio Shack or X-10 appliance module.

You can use the module, which plugs into the wall (or for neater installation, replaces your wall light receptacle) or the flip on and off wall switch. You can then add a simple timer controller (not the Butler!) that can ramp the room lights on slowly with a timer and it can even start to brew that important first cup of coffee right by your bed if you want to (aromatherapy?). X-10 systems send codes through your existing elecrical wiring so you can control up to 256 devices by just pluging things in, cheap, simple and proven over many years.

The curtain motors are very nice, most are X-10 compatible and I have installed a few, but they are relatively expensive, about $150 last time I looked, and you can't count on the sun everyday because of clouds and rain and daylight savings time.

X-10 systems start at $15 for a plug in module and $20 for a timer/controller. Some controlers have a sunlight sensor that will open and close your curtains, just remember to leave it on the OTHER side of the curtain where is 'sees' the sun!