A Lucid Dream Come True

Dreams are an eternal source of mystery, wisdom, and amusement.  At one time or another, most have looked to decipher these strange nocturnal metaphors.  Many came to the conclusion that their search would be aided by self-consciousness and awareness within the dream. 

Luckily for this curious crowd, Brooklyn inventors Duncan Frazier and Steve McGuigan of Bitbanger Labs have designed an REM enhancing sleep mask called Remee, which is capable of inducing lucid dreams. 

The sleep mask, which is virtually identical to the common masks worn by frequent fliers worldwide, features six LED lights on its inside face. The unique, user-programmable light sequences serve as a marker to alert the user that they are in a dream, while remaining gentle enough to avoid waking them entirely. The mask senses when the user enters the dream filled REM sleep stages and initializes the pattern of flashing red lights, too faint to wake the dreamer, but significant enough to catch the brain's attention and thereby enter the user's dream.

This is the crux of the process, and of most lucid dreaming techniques. The dreamer must somehow realize that they are dreaming, thereby achieving self-awareness and enabling conscious direction of the dream. 

The first “dream machines” were created in the 1980s, but were bulky and expensive.  However, the Remee is about the size and weight of a normal eye mask and is powered by small 3 volt cell batteries with a three month life. The mask only uses power when the lights are blinking. 

After a Kickstarter campaign which raised $572,891 (the original target was $35,000), production is underway and masks are available in five colors for pre-order at $95 apiece.  Interested parties should visit sleepwithremee.com for more information and ordering.

"Sleep Mask" by Bitbanger Labs on Dailymail courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing.