Lucid dream startup to enable engineers to write codes while sleeping, BUT WHY?

A startup in the US is on a mission to make people work even when they are asleep. The lucid dream venture is working on a device, nothing short of a spy gadget from Hollywood’s Sci-Fi movies that will induce lucid dreaming. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s a state of consciousness where a person is aware that they are dreaming while in their sleep.

Confusing right? The device, dubbed Halo, is made to be sported like a crown while a person is sleeping.

Apparently, the device will allow tech folks to write codes while they are asleep. Prophetic, the firm behind the product, plans on selling Halo for around $1,500 to $2,000, Fortune reported. The company plans to kick off a new era of headgear with its latest product, which relies on machine learning and ultrasound.

“The combination of ultrasound and machine learning models (created using EEG & MRI data) allows us to detect when dreamers are in REM to induce and stabilize lucid dreams. Together we will pursue the answers to life’s biggest questions,” the company website reads. “Prophetic’s mission is to give you the ability to explore your own consciousness and create a tool that will bring us all closer to understanding this great mystery.”

Giving people control over their dreams

The idea here is to give people the reins of their dreams and put them to good use. Imagine a CEO getting himself ready for a board meeting, an athlete thinking about his on-field strategy, or a web designer creating new templates — all in their dreams! What’s more interesting is that the device was created in cahoots with Afshin Mehin, who is also the person behind Neuralink N1 for Elon Musk’s brain implant venture.

The initial mockups of the product appear to be like a headband that users can sport like a crown. Halo operates by sending out focused ultrasound beams, similar to the waves that are used to check on a baby inside the womb. These beams target a particular part of the brain, which is linked to lucid dreaming. The company claims that the waves will trigger the decision-making and awareness centers in the brain, kicking off lucid dreaming inside the user’s brain.

CEO and founder Eric Wollberg started Prophetic in March with his partner in tech ventures, Wesley Louis Berry III, who was previously into creating AR art. The two joined forces after a mutual friend introduced them. Before Prophetic, Wollberg worked at Gnowbe, an ed-tech startup by 500 Global, and Praxis, another startup funded by Bedrock and Paradigm that aims to build a futuristic city in the Mediterranean.

Lucid dream-inducing devices aren’t new

You might’ve already heard about devices that promise to make you lucid dream, including eye masks, headbands, and forehead electrode boxes. Not just that, you can even find supplements that claim to do the same. But here’s the thing: people aren’t done with new tech in this space.

Well, that’s because it offers the potential to unlock creativity and problem-solving while sleeping. And let’s not forget, a lot of devices out there are yet to fully deliver on their promises.

Lucid dreaming isn’t only a matter of solving particular problems; it’s more about finding fresh and creative approaches to things that a person might not have thought of before. Say a math expert might not solve an equation or crunch exact numbers to a problem in their dream, but lucid dreaming can allow them to come up with new strategies to tackle the equation when they are up and running.

Not everyone is convinced by the new tech

Well, of course, there are some skeptics when it comes to this technology. Antonio Zadra, a sleep and dreaming expert at the University of Montreal, believes that the process might not be as straightforward. Zadra says with other devices that promise to induce lucid dreams, people might get into the dream state without realizing they are dreaming or get too excited and wake themselves up.

Taking it a notch higher and controlling the dream instead of realizing that you’re in one could be a tough nut to crack. Even seasoned lucid dreamers like Zadra find it difficult. Wollberg, while speaking to Fortune, asserted the importance of controlling dreams, especially for practical stuff, such as preparing for something important.

Suppose the Halo and similar devices manage to kickstart a lucid dream, but Antonio Zadra says that it’s not just about the device alone. It’s the combination of its usage alongside the mindfulness techniques that can enable users to take control of their dreams. Things such as meditation, maintaining a dream journal, and picturing what’s going to happen in a dream before it happens all play a crucial role in making this concept a reality.

More stimulation could crack the code

Responding to this claim, Wollberg put forward some studies that show how active the prefrontal cortex is with the skill of dream control. In simpler words, the more stimulation occurs, the better users will be able to control their dreams. He also noted that most of these studies suggested the need for more testing to stand their grounds against the tech.

So, the company is basing Halo on research carried out by the Donders Institute, a brain research center in the Netherlands. They are taking a close look at the institute’s studies to understand which parts of the brain to target and how often to shoot those areas with ultrasound waves to trigger lucid dreaming. The company is hoping to gain all this data by spring 2024 and will start shipping the devices in spring 2025.

Wollberg also suggested that Halo will set users back by around $1,500 to $2,000 each. If you are someone who wants to jump on the bandwagon of tech-induced lucid dreaming, then you can secure a spot by shelling out a refundable $100 deposit. Although the CEO did not reveal the exact number of sig-ups, he hinted that within the first few weeks of opening reservations, the company managed to rake in “several hundred thousand dollars in booking revenue.” He also suggested that there are thousands on the waitlist as well.

We know it sounds like something straight out of the film Inception, but the tech could be closer to reality than one might’ve imagined.