Inception-like Remee lets you take control of your dreams

How would you like to fly without TSA hassles, not in a plane, but like Superman? Now you can. From the futuristically far-out-and-freaky emerging technology department, where we’ve frequently seen science fiction turned into fact, here comes a reality like from the movie Inception for you to take control of your dreams. You can choose to save the world or to destroy it thanks to a couple of coders, Steve McGuigan and Duncan Frazier of Bitbanger Labs who created Remee - “The REM enhancing Lucid Dreaming Mask.”

The creative applications of lucid dreaming are limitless, allowing people to “perform any feat from the sublime to the superhuman.” If flying isn’t your thing, then maybe you’d rather overcome fears? “Build skyscrapers in your mind, attack unsolved mathematical problems, or just try and figure out what happened at the end of Lost. Lucid dreaming is a path, a journey – what lies at the end of the path, magnificent or mundane, is your call.”

Remee has six red LED lights on the inside of the sleeping mask that won’t awaken you, but will serve as a trigger to your brain to realize you are dreaming. It’s a bit like the totem in Inception. Once you realize you are in a dream, that’s when you can do anything. When you enter REM (Rapid Eye Movement) deep sleep, “Remee will display light patterns for 15-20 seconds with a second shorter delay, default at 15 minutes, between each signal.” The creators explained, “During non-REM sleep the lights are unlikely to effect you, but if you’re in REM sleep the lights will bleed into your dreams, presenting a perfect chance to become lucid.”

Lucid dreaming via Remee is even customizable, including nap mode. Lucidipedia explains that the trick to the “spiritual sport” of lucid dreaming starts with knowing you are dreaming and over 37,000 people belong to Reddit’s LucidDreaming subreddit. McGuigan and Frazier built the first prototype Remee sleeping mask at home, successfully raised the funding, nearly $573,000 on Kickstarter, and sold over 7,000 Remee masks. The William McShane Fund is so interested that Remee is one of 12 Kickstarter Projects open to voting to decide which project should be “McShaned.” Steve McGuigan told me, “we think most of the entries are pretty cool and deserving.”

Short Interview with Bitbanger Labs Steve McGuigan:

Bitbanger Labs started in July 2011, but how long have you been working on controlling dreams?

McGuigan: Lucid Dreaming is something we’ve both been doing since long before we knew there was a name for it. When I was in College I researched the topic a bit and found out that not only was there a name for it, but there were dozens of websites and even some scientific studies dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of lucid dreaming. Years later a chance conversation between us led to the realization of our mutual interest and the seeds for Remee were planted.

No, the creators of Remee don’t throw ads at you inside your dream like Google glasses is suspected to do while you are awake. Remee can’t store your private dream-world in a database. There is also no national security risk, as in hopping inside a world leader’s head to manipulate him or her. But like all emerging tech/science, it may someday fall into less honorable hands. Do you foresee science fiction turned into a reality like in the movie Inception where people have the ability to enter other people’s dreams? 

McGuigan: This seems extremely unlikely – the idea of transferring someone’s consciousness temporarily into someone else’s brain seems far fetched even for a couple of dreamers.

Remee masks come in five colors and you can pre-order on sleepwithme. More than 7,000 have been sold so far. For $95 you too can be a master of dream control.

In my humble opinion there is tremendous power in the ability to control your dreams, something I’ve been able do ever since I was little. As I grew older and began writing fiction, I discovered you could tap dreams for the creative power of figuring out plots and storylines. I found you could then sit at the computer with fingers flying, trying to keep up with the movie in your head, since the entire fictional novel is eventually written night after night while you dream. Some people don’t understand that and call it demonic “automatic writing.” Ignore people like that who don’t understand subconscious writing. Other people simply regard it as “inspiration.”

Once you master the ability to control your dreams, you can set your subconscious to tackle anything, creative or otherwise, to analyze any problem and to better find a solution. As the creators of Remee pointed out, “What about trying to write a short story, or compose a melody? Paul McCartney and Mary Shelley, among others, might have a lot to say about harnessing the creative power of dreams.”

Have a soldering iron and want the specs? McGuigan and Frazier said, “Congratulations, you’re probably into tinkering and hacking just like we are, and most likely you want to know the skinny on Remee’s guts.” They’ve promised tutorials. You can read more on Kickstarter, keep an eye on their Facebook page, or look on Bitbanger Labs where the guys posted some cool project images.

Thank you Steve.