Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS). However, PSG is not suitable as a first-line examination for all people suspected as having SAS because PSG requires hospitalization. Therefore, it is hoped that a simple examination can be developed which is available for use in the home. The present study evaluated the usefulness of a new sheet-like apparatus (SD-101) which is equipped with 162 pressure sensors for SAS diagnosis. One hundred patients hospitalized for PSG were simultaneously examined using the SD-101, and 25 patients, who underwent both PSG and SAS screening with MORPHEUS R, were also studied. The SD-101 is inserted between a sheet and the bed, and detects pressure from many points on the patient's body as it presses against the bed. Continuous changes of these pressure points are converted to respiratory movement. A very close correlation was seen between the apnea hypopnea index of PSG and a respiratory disturbance index of SD-101 (r=0.90), although there was a significant but lower correlation between data obtained PSG and MORPHEUS R(r=0.84). The sensitivity and specificity of the examination using SD-101 were 98.2% and 55.8%, respectively. These findings suggested that a new apparatus, SD-101, may be useful for the screening of SAS.