This is the year for lucid dreaming technology. First, the smart phone app Dream:On captured the imagination of the media, boasting over 300,00 downloads in the first month. Then, lucid dreaming mask Remee secured over half a million dollars in funding through one of the most successful programs in Kickstarter ever. Meanwhile, the Lucidity Institute, the original inventor of the lucid dreaming mask, is quietly mounting a stealth marketing campaign for the return of the NovaDreamer.
What to do? Here’s my thoughts on which lucid dreaming mask to bet on.
How Light-based Lucid Dreaming Masks work
The central invention behind lucid dreaming masks is that embedded LED lights near the eyes flash while you sleep. The lights are strong enough to be seen through your closed eyelids, but (hopefully) not strong enough to wake you up.
With a strong intention and decent prospective memory in the dream for said intention, you will remember “Weird flashing lights = I’m dreaming!” Otherwise, the lights will just be incorporated into the dream narrative — or worse, disturb your sleep.
Lucid dreaming masks can also incorporate sound in a similar way. Earlier versions of the NovaDreamer had sound features. And the REM-Dreamer — a UK-based brand that filled a void in the market in 2004 when the NovaDreamer went offline — still has an add-on you can purchase called the REM-speaker that allows you to record messages to yourself to play back once the mask determines you are dreaming.
As it turns out, though, the REM-Dreamer took this idea from the NovaDreamer, which also had a speaker-system add-on. This is a theme we’ll continue to explore.
So a lucid dreaming mask doesn’t do it all for you but it does provide more opportunities for a dream sign that is bizarre and yet reliable enough to trigger self-awareness in the dream state.
Cost
Remee is offering its mask at around $100.
This is cheaper than the REMDreamer – which currently costs 147 Euros (@ $185 American).
And it’s probably much cheaper than the NovaDreamer 2, but who can say yet, as Lucidity Institute has not offered a peep into the new pricing structure.
However, the last generation of the NovaDreamer went for $200 – $600, which also was bundled with some of Stephen LaBerge’s books and audio products.
Winner: Remee. From the beginning, Remee was designed to low-ball all the other masks on the market, making it affordable for many more people, and I doubt anyone can match it price even by a factor of two. But price isn’t everything.
Comfort
Let’s face it, lucid dreaming masks are inherently annoying. Who likes sleeping with something on your face? Many sleepers will be disappointed to find they tear the mask off in the middle of the night.
Still, after a few nights of attempts, some will get used to it, especially the younger dreamers who are already more accustomed to wearing headphones and living in close quarters with technologies like cellphones and mobile devices.
The most comfortable lucid dreaming mask will undoubtedly be the Remee, which uses a super-light-weight mask with minimal hardware and a low power profile which only needs a tiny coin-battery to keep it humming.
Compare that the REM-Dreamer– and the NovaDreamer assumedly — which use heavier hardware and are powered by two AA batteries… on your face.
(UPDATE: a reader has told me that the newest version of the REM-Dreamer uses a small coin (watch) batteries as well)
Winner: Remee. I’m certain their innovation will spread across the marketplace and encourage lighter masks, even though it is hampered with serious issues that I’ll describe below.
Technology
All lucid dreaming masks do not use the same technology to time when to alert you that you’re dreaming.
Remee uses a timer-based light display, so that about five hours after turning on, it begins blasting the lights every 15 minutes (or however you program the sequence). There’s also a nap setting for shorter segments of time before the show begins.
How does this work? Remee is banking on the fact that after 5 hours of sleep, it’s pretty likely you’ll be in REM sleep. Indeed, in the second half of the night, most people have already gone through deep sleep patterns, and are mostly oscillating in between light sleep (NREM) and REM.
A lucid dreaming mask that does not measure your sleep may just turn out to be an alarm clock strapped to your head
The REM-Dreamer and the NovaDreamer 2, on the other hand, have a more sophisticated approach. These masks measure your eye movements and head movements, and determine when you are definitely in REM sleep, rather than awake or in non-REM sleep. The technology behind this sensing is known as actigraphy, which measures minute muscular responses –including eye movements — associated with sleep stages. The principle designer for the first generation of NovaDreamer is Craig Webb, who still consults and leads dream analysis sessions.
That said, the REM-Dreamer is not as sophisticated as the (now-unavailable) NovaDreamer, which utilized secret algorithms for precisely timing the light sequences, based on Stanford University lucid dream research from many different lucid dreaming subjects.
And as we shall soon see play out on the world stage, a lucid dreaming mask that does not measure your sleep in some manner may just turn out to be an alarm clock strapped to your head. There’s a fair chance that the Remee will flash lights when you are in non-REM sleep. Most cases, you simply won’t notice, but look forward to unnecessary awakenings too.
Because a media buzz-and-burn cycle just happened with the “control your dreams” app known as DREAM:ON — which was downloaded three hundred thousand times before users agreed that it doesn’t work (not too surprising, as previous studies of sound-based dream suggestion have found it to be a weak effect,)– I do fear that the Remee might not live up to the high expectations of beginner lucid dreamers.
It might actually do more harm than good, by turning off some beginners permanently.
Winner: the NovaDreamer line
Extra Features
I’ve played with an earlier version of NovaDreamer and remember its coolest extra feature was a “reality check” button. There’s a button on the mask that you push when waking up to “test” if you are dreaming or not. This works because buttons, light switches and other mechanical devices are not very reliable in the dream state, especially when you have a doubting perspective.
In consensual reality, however, the buttons work whether or not you believe in them!
Another interesting feature of the first generation NovaDreamer was the ability to set light pattern sequences based on whether you are a light sleeper or a deep sleeper. Again, I have no insider knowledge about whether or not the new NovaDreamer will have updates on these features.
The REM-Dreamer has another innovative feature worth mentioning: Two-way communication. Using the same infrared technology that measures REM sleep, you can theoretically alert the mask that you are dreaming, in order to make it stop flashing the lights, by making a distinctive pre-determined eye movement.
As many people have complained over the years of their lucid dreams getting hijacked by the lights after becoming lucid, this feature is a brilliant idea, although I have heard its ability to work reliably may be compromised by the limitation of infrared sensing in the device.
Without peer-reviewed research, we really don’t know.
Again, Remee cannot even attempt this, as it doesn’t know if you’re in REM in the first place.
And will the NovaDreamer 2 incorporate a two-way communication feature? I have no idea.
Winner: I am leaning towards the NovaDreamer’s offerings, which although they may not be as expansive as the REM-Dreamer, at least they are data-driven and tested. Which leads me to the question of validation…
Validation: do the masks actually work?
I should state that I never personally succeeded in having a lucid dream cued by a light device, but only because I gave up after a few nights (it was on loan from a friend).
Beyond the placebo effect –which is a significant factor with lucid dreaming induction — the only brand of lucid dreaming mask with experimental evidence behind it is the Lucidity Institute, which produced the NovaDreamer and its earlier versions, known as the Dream Light.
In 1995, Stephen LaBerge tested the DreamLight against controls, including a dummy non-working version of the mask, and concluded “cueing with sensory stimuli by the DreamLight appears to increase a subject’s probability of having lucid dreams, and that most of the resulting lucid dreams are due to the specific effect of light cues rather than general ‘placebo’ factors.”
Essentially, the working version of the mask more than doubled the lucid dreams that subjects had in the lab, compared with the non-working but otherwise identical version of the mask.
However, no one has replicated this study, and the findings cannot be considered completely impartial as LaBerge was selling the masks he tested – although his study was peer-reviewed by a reputable academic journal (Dreaming, published by the American Psychological Association).
Since then, LaBerge and his colleagues at the Lucidity Institute have been testing the NovaDreamer and prototypes of NovaDreamer 2 in their annual retreats. While none of these findings have been reported, it’s safe to assume that no other lucid dreaming mask on the market has as many hours of testing and retesting as the NovaDreamer line.
Winner: NovaDreamer 2. I’d love to see some more third-party testing, but it’s way ahead of any other brand in terms of validation by actual lucid dream researchers.
What to do?
After reviewing all the material, my recommendation for lucid enthusiasts would be to wait until the Lucidity Institute makes its new offer for the NovaDreamer 2 before making an informed decision. I have a strong respect for their legacy and the work Stephen LaBerge’s team has put into the long awaited NovaDreamer 2.
But how long a wait?
Well, after several years of rumors, LI just announced last month that NovaDreamer 2 will be available later this year, perhaps by the end of summer. Until then, work on improving your dream recall, a core skill necessary for successful lucid dream induction.
To sign up to the Lucidity Institute’s mailing list, click here, and you’ll receive news when the NovaDreamer 2 is available.
Watch out for the Remee! I mean that not just as a warning for their present offering, but with an eye towards to the future. Even if/when their timer-based mask does not live up to the hype — and I can’t imagine it will — their next product will surely take user feedback, and perhaps real sleep data, into account for the next generation of masks. Given Remee’s transparency, outreach efforts, and smart marketing, their success is practically guaranteed in the long run as a major player.
But without the benefit of decades of sleep research behind it, I’m afraid the Remee’s first foray into lucid dreaming technology ultimately falls into the same category as the REM-Dreamer: an incomplete replica of the NovaDreamer brand…and a dream based on wishful thinking.
If you’re interested in incorporating dream masks into a successful lucid dreaming practice, you may also be interested in my digital kit the Lucid Immersion Blueprint.
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First image credits: Untitled, found on BoingBoing
Hi Ryan,
Although a mask looks great, I’m not quite convinced until they can come up with something that serves more than a dream sign.
I personally think it’s a big distraction to people who are looking for a quick fix, and would be better served perfecting their meditation and self-awareness.
If they come out with something that can enable lucid dreams every night, I’m in. Until then I don’t think I’ll get one or recommend anyone else does.
BTW, glad I found your site. I read your sleep paralysis book last year so it’s pretty cool to see you have a website.
Cheers
Hi Jamie, thanks for the comment. And I agree, the mask’s usefulness is precisely its ability to trigger a dream sign. For some, technologies like this can be an effective way to jumpstart a lucid dream.
Ultimately, I would suggest that a more effective long term method would include mental, emotional and physical “lucid life training” modules, which is what I teach in my Lucid Immersion Blueprint course. A dream mask can easily be incorporated into this holistic plan.
Interesting article Ryan. I tend to agree, that over the years I have read many user accounts of dream mask experiments and none have been too positive. Can the Remee be configured such that it assumes you will be in REM earlier than 5 hours from now (e.g. let’s say you want to first put it on during a WBTB)?
I’ve tried the DreamMaker and the REM Dreamer. The only workable solution for me was the REM Dreamer ckt board in the DreamMaker mask. That tells you how important comfort is.
It will be interesting where Laberge’s device comes in. Like you, I am guessing it will be pricey.
Hey James! my understanding is (from scouring Remee’s 4 minute promotional video) that there is a nap setting for shorter timed sessions. Thanks for bringing up the DreamMaker — I couldn’t find any real information about the mask beyond its sales page so I didn’t bother including it in my review.
I bought a REM-dreamer a few years ago. It works great, but the comfort factor has it sitting on the shelf now collecting dust.
It is very configurable and would love to see them come out with a version like the remee’s physical design.
I’ve had several lucid dreams using it. It also has a test button, which works great. I remember one LD where I went to test, and felt my finger just touch between my eyes… like I wasn’t wearing the mask(but I was). This brought me into full lucidity. Another time I felt my glasses on my face. When removing these dream glasses, everything went blurry, just like it would in waking state. Very freaky… very real! This launched another LD, as I knew I would not be wearing my glasses to bed.
thanks Ken. goes to show how important comfort is! This is Remee’s strongest point, and like you I hope it encourages innovation.
I enjoyed your LD Mask article and agree with your conclusion (wait). I own three different dream masks. One of the masks I have owned for a very long time. In my opinion the big problem with dream masks is their REM detection is questionable. They all use IR motion detection similar to that used in an optical computer mouse. This IR sensing of eye movement works erratically in all masks I have tried. The only way to get this detector to work well is to paint raster lines on your eye lids so the IR detector has some contrast to work with :-)) NOT recommended for the faint of heart or those with shaky hands.
Another big problem is that you can easily and very quickly become acclimated to the stimulus (lights / sounds) after which point this stuff does nothing.
I have found something I call the mask-effect. I have found that wearing a simple (non-electric) sleep mask turns out to be an excellent reality-check-type lucidity trigger. You have dreams in which you are wearing the mask but can somehow still see the room through the mask! Oh! I must be dreaming! This happens to me all the time. I’ve lost count of how many of my LDs started with, “Oh damn, I have a sleep mask on.” So if I am hunting LDs then I always wear a (non-electric normal) sleep mask. Now I am not the discoverer of this effect at all. Way back to ancient shamanic times masks or scarves over the eyes have been used for dream work. This is documented all over the place. Even Castaneda has masks of some type in some of his books. So there is a long documented history behind mask = LD/OBE.
I have to wonder if the effect LaBerge reported with his NovaDreamer experiments was this simple mask-effect and the NoveDreamer’s IR motion detection electronics + flashes & beeps added very little?
great, Kevin thanks.
I find your comment about masks as “sacred lucid paraphernalia” to be very interesting and relevant. I would have to agree, that any way to externalize a ritual desire for lucid dreaming could have a potent effect on the set of the dreamer.
But the mask effect is not just placebo — I think Laberge and Levitan’s 1995 study, although outdated and not yet replicated, still shows that the actual light-cuing has an advantage… in fact they found the lights created 15X more lucid dreams than masks worn without the cuing!
Thanks, Ryan, for this comprehensive review. I already pre-ordered my Remee and will order the NovaDreamer2 when it comes out because I agree with you that “A dream mask can easily be incorporated into this holistic plan.” They might serve as a useful tool if used in moderation.
excited to hear how it works out for you using both masks!
Great review Ryan! I’ve had the opportunity to check out the new Novadreamer2 (ND2) at LaBerge’s workshops. I’ve also been able to try a knockoff I purchased off the web years ago (the Dream Maker?). Never had success with the knockoff but I have had success getting lucid with the ND2.
The ND2 uses a lithium battery and you can connect it to your computer with a USB to configure settings and see how many light cues were delivered during your REM periods. The reality test button of the ND2 is also beneficial and crucial to getting lucid with an LD mask because false awakenings where you dream you are wearing the mask are VERY common! But if your reality test button doesn’t work when you “wake up”, that means you are still dreaming. This is another powerful benefit of the ND2.
From what I am aware of, there are many more features the ND2 has. You can configure settings so you receive varying levels of brightness, length of light cues, or the type of flashing to meet your individual needs. There is a convenient button that delays any light signals so you can get restful sleep until your next REM period. Hearsay has indicated that there are ways to communicate via eye movement signals to the ND2, (possibly to turn off light cues once you are lucid or to record data that you are lucid…?) but we attendees are not formally introduced to such advanced settings during the retreats. It also has methods of inhibiting light cues from flashing depending on muscle movement so as to not disturb your sleep so much. From what I can tell, the ND2 seems very customizable and well worth the wait. Coupled with mindfulness practices and a cognitive toolset for lucid dream induction, the Novadreamer2 can be a very powerful adjunct for producing lucidity.
thank you thank you thank you! I was hoping my article (in which I showcase how little I know about the new NovaDreamer) would bring someone’s expertise out to correct me!
great info about the ND2 and exciting to hear about the level of customizability too.
Kristen, may I ask when you last attended the LaBerge workshop? Just wondering if ND2 has changed since then.
Thanks.
Hi Ryan;
So what’s in the pipeline to share other people’s lucid dreams a la “Inception”???
BTW, just interested – was LDC in a dream at the end of the movie?
Cheers,
Doug
Doug,
This may be a start:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2012/11/08/saying-hi-through-a-dream-how-the-internet-could-make-sleeping-more-social/
haha yeah it’s right around the corner. 🙂
seriously Ed Kellogg has developed some good protocols to test involving mutual lucid dreams — you can find links to his work at his member page for the IASD: http://dreamtalk.hypermart.net/member/files/ed_kellogg.html
also Robert Waggoner explores this theme with some depth (and humor) in his book Lucid dreaming: Gateway to the inner self
Hello Ryan,
I must say that I don’t know much about this subject and the article was very helpful.
I was wondering what are the effects that these masks can produce if you’re having a sleep paralysis… maybe hallucinations because of the lights, for example? Is there any effect at all?
Hi Lorena — I don’t know the answer to that question, but my guess is that in SP you would see the lights, and if you’re prone to HH, you’d incorporate the lights into larger light patterns of your own making. I’d love to know!
Enjoyed reading your sleep paralysis study. Not whether I believe in a mask that can activate lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is not that complicated to experience. Sleep paralysis can also start a lucid dream.
Great work! Thanks.
thanks Jason — and good work with the website!
I think the data that light masks can induce LD is pretty strong, but it’s really about personal preferences beyond that regarding how effective.
Hi Ryan
Great article. I’ve tried both the LI’s DreamLink and NovaDreamer and both were helpful at that time of my LD development. Big problem I find with the mask approach is I tend to take it off in the night – my enthusiasm for having a lucid dream as I fall asleep disappears in my sleepy state in the middle of the night. The big batteries of these early models also made them very cumbersome.
The power of placebo should not be underestimated. I have also tried magnetic stimulation and had lucid dreams before the field was turned on or during sham fields but never when the field was actually on. I’m sure mask reinforced intension is 80% of the story with masks despite what the LaBerge study says. A sleeping mask as pointed out by a post above works too!
Hi Ryan,
You must have tested an outdated version of REM dreamer therefore your entire test is obsolete.
REM dreamer uses eyeballs sensors to time the cue while the remee is simply a timer. Therefore the REM dreamer is in completely other league. It is also very comfortable. (I own one) and uses coin sized battery.
Please check the new version or say clearly that your article is outdated.
Hi Nir,
thanks for your thoughts: you’re right, I missed the mark with battery power on REM-Dreamer, but I already updated the post to reflect that when another reader pointed it out.
I also did not suggest that REM-Dreamer uses the same technology as Remee. It uses infrared technology like the NovaDreamer line, but without the Stanford research-based algorithms.
Finally, I never suggested I tested all devices — this is an informational review, as the new NovaDreamer hasn’t even hit the streets yet. As such, it’s actually the most up to date article (which isn’t saying much, admittedly).
Please read more slowly next time.
Ryan,
Super article! I bought a Novadreamer in 1993, and I would say it
helped me have many lucid dreams. I still have my Novadreamer,
yet I plan on purchasing the Novadreamer 2 when it’s released.
With this article, and Kristen’s comments above, it sounds like this
new Novadreamer will be the next generation of lucid-dream induction masks.
It’s great to see info on the web like this article. I’ve been a lucid
dreamer for a long time. But it’s been hard for me to find info about lucid dreaming on the web that is current and relevant. Keep-up the strong work!
A question: I’m on the Lucidity Institute’s mailing list, but still haven’t heard about a release date for the Novadreamer 2. Do you have a guess as to when it will come out? Thanks!
-Brandon Krol
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for the mask comparison. I bought the REM Dreamer and had an interesting experience of seeing lightning flashes while jumping from boulder to boulder trying to climb up a mountain. However, rather than realizing this was the REM Dreamer telling me I was dreaming, I merely concluded that I needed to time my jumps so I wasn’t blinded by the flashes in mid-air. I haven’t used it much yet, but clearly in order to become lucid when the lights flash, one must prime oneself to realize that flashing lights=”this is a dream.” Merely a dream sign, maybe, but a potentially reliable dream sign that will be there in each dream. Regarding the reliability of the appearance of dream signs, I once taught a client to lucid dream, and he decided that seeing a cat would be his dream sign. He then had a dream in which he was with his deceased grandmother, upon seeing whom he realized he was dreaming and wondered “but where’s the cat?!”
Doug Seiden
Haha, Yes! I once decided that looking at my hands would be the dream sign – in dreams your hands are supposed to be strange so you would have a hint that you`re dreaming. So I dreamt that I was swimming in a lake. During the dream I remembered that I had to look at my hands – so I did. I was wearing gloves. It seemed normal enough so I continued my my dream, non-.lucid 🙁
What I love during lucid dream is spinning and rubbing my hands 🙂
Great article!
“…NovaDreamer, which utilized secret algorithms for precisely timing the light sequences…”
What exactly are you referring to here, and by timing the light sequences do you mean the rate at which the lights flash or how often they flash once REM has been detected?
Many thanks
hey Tommy, well, both: from what I’ve been told by Craig Webb, the chief developed of the NovaDreamer, the algorithms determine the best point in the REM cycle for induction, as well as optimal flashing light sequences, all this based on clinical lab tests, some of which were done at Stanford.
Hello Ryan.
Great article. I am a person who just wants to lucid dream, but not find “self-awareness”. Would you recommend the Remee for someone who would just like to control their dream? Or would it be better for me to just to lucid dream through following a step by step guideline on how to dream this way, because I am very interested and a newbie.
Thanks for your time.
Thanks for this Ryan! I heard about you from Christine G after posting a note on Facebook. Had my first LD last night, lasted one minute because I got so excited I woke up. 😛
I have a Remee on the way, but it looks like the ND2 will be worth buying when it is ready. Looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Good article, but next time try to be a little motivated and have some will and patience when you test products before you write about them.
The REM-dreamer is actually the best mask currently out there, since it’s got REM detection and reliable two way connection. Take some time to read the manual, test the system by moving in front of the sensor while awake. I have had several lucid dreams from it, and counting. Everything takes time to learn, it doesn’t happen over a few nights. However, for some people it does. Talent?
You shouldn’t use the mask every single night, don’t force anything. After all, to sleep, you need to relax. If you use it too often, your mind will adapt to it and start to ignore the cues.
I also was very surprised at how well Remee was sold. The marketing was indeed incredible, to say the least! I feel like it will work out great for many people because it has an unique set of LED lights, wheras the REM-dreamer has one for each eye. Still, I’m not buying into it as so many people did on Kickstarter. I prefer the REM-dreamer as it only goes off during the REM cycle and only as long as needed, thanks to TWC. You move your eyes up and down and the cues stop. It works for me.
well Tim, I could do without your peevish condescension, but I know my readers will appreciate the first-hand report nonetheless. Good luck on your quest to greater lucidity.
DreamStar (https://www.dreamstar.com/) is another REM-detecting sleep mask for lucidity; but I have not tried it yet. I am sort of waiting for a bluetooth-enabled mask.
Ryan..
My novadramer has been on the shelf for months but i started using it again and found it may be working for me.
Is is posible for novadreamer to help one enter a dream [like a .. [WILD]..wake initated dream without noticing a ND cue?
This morning [later in morning]..in dream.. i found myself in a strange building and the walls looked almost adobe in texture..
I was slowly walking through it exploring everything..
Then i walked through the door to a bright out door scene..
After waking i hove NO trouble recalling the dream..
After thinking about the dream experiance It seems posible that entered the dream conscious?
Because of the awsome vividness and detail i saw.
I believe that i was alert in the dream …only i didnt realize i was in a dream..
Could novadreamer help one stay alert enough to enter a dream in an awake state without seeing a cue?
It seems posible to me what do you think?
Thanks..Tom
Greetings Ryan,
Thorough and interesting read. I have a REM-Dreamer as part of a comprehensive lucid dreaming plan and as you outlined, cues can be adjusted for length, frequency and duration giving you almost full range of control over cues. I see the features of the Dreamstar to be no different from a cursory overview.
The science conducted at Stanford by LaBerge seems beneficial but has this been translated into the NovaDreamer 2? We can hardly speak to the NovaDreamer 2 that gets your vote as the gold standard for most of the topics above. Why? Because it is unavailable outside Stephen’s workshops. A cynic may find this convenient, and until it is available I think we should temper our endorsements in the same way we would not give an award to an athlete who conducted research on how he would perform; whether he performed in the past with ample skill or otherwise.
I have been on the Lucidity mailing list for years now and am hopeful they will release the ND2 someday. Until then however, oneironauts have been using the REM-Dreamer and other masks for that entire time the Nova line has been MIA and this in and of itself should count as an award: developing and supporting an effective product for the market’s demand.
Cheers,
JZ
thanks Jeremie for the thoughtful comment. You make a good point. When I wrote this article, I was under the impression that Lucidity was about to release the Nova Dreamer 2 to the great unwashed. So I was really suggesting to people excited about Remee to hold their horses… something better is coming down the line. Alas. Nearly a year later, and there’s no new movement. REM-Dreamer is indeed currently the best product on the market.
And lastly, I’m told that yes the Nova Dreamer 2 not only integrates the Stanford data but also a decade’s worth of experimentation that LaBerge has done with his workshop participants.
Hi Ryan
I’ve been following the discussion of various lucid dreaming masks for awhile and would like to share
a project I have been working on. I call it ELDIS for experimental lucid dream induction system. It
is not a mask as the others although it works on similar principles.
It has the following features, USB connectivity, rechargeable lipo battery, infrared eye movement detection
with a modulated ir signal give high rejection of ambient light therefore no mask is needed, motion and orientation
detection with an accelerometer for rejection of false positive eye movements due to head motion, and detection
of when user is no longer asleep but sitting, standing or moving around. Also has a Reality test button, audio,
visual and tactile feedback via speaker, hi intensity LEDS, and vibration motor.
Has data logging of many parameters including rem density. Adjustment of
cue length, intensity and frequency. Also has Two-way communication with dreamer via eye movements to allow stopping cues
during a lucid dream. All settings can be adjusted via Windows user application. Application also allows for
downloading and saving device data to harddrive. Data can be displayed in a list form as well as a timeline showing
user activity throughout the night.
I am probably 90% finished with the device and am now testing the features such as two-way communication and regular
REM detection and feedback. I can say that the device detects rem periods very well.
I can also say that it is quite light and comfortable although it may look awkward.
I remember having a lucid dream when I was younger, and a hoping to have more using this device.
You can see a brief video description of it on youtube at http://youtu.be/lAmb9NLvfqk
I am interested in what you and your readers think of it.
thanks
Hi CSquire
I watched your video and am impressed by your work. WELL DONE! Have you dreamed lucidly using the device?
close but no cigar! have been able to see cues in my dreams i.e. flashing light bulbs but failed to recognize them as cues, still need to work on that part thanks
My nova dreamer always woke me and it is particularly horrific and uncomfortable getting jarred awake at the onset of REM so I gave up. I have done lucid dreaming many times over the 30 years or so I tried to do it but it always lasts a moment or so then I lose control. It is a real rush though to look at your hands and think oh im dreaming.
Ryan, do you know how much EMF one of these masks puts out? I’m just curious how much electrical pollution I’m exposing my head to sleeping with this on my face all night…
Hm, So the NovaDreamer 2 mailing list website has not been updated since early 2012 and it’s still not available. That is dissapointing. I’m not going to register myself, I dont like the information they require. I’m pretty amazed after all these years nothing much has changed.
Strangely enough, today the Lucidity Institute issued its first update in over a year about the NovaDreamer 2. They are finishing up their software patches and currently surveying users for what sort of computer they have. Here’s hoping!
Hi!
I am an avid lucid dreamer and appreciate your attention to the dream mask, NovaDreamer2. I have personal experience with it at the Dreaming and Awakening retreat in Hawaii through the Lucidity institute in 2012. (Lucidity.com). Next workshop is this March 15-23 2014, which I will be attending. I LOVE the Novadreamer2 and all of the potential it holds.
I’m just want to let your readers understand that timing is important when using the ND2. Going to sleep at between 10pm and 11 pm, (without the mask) sleeping til appx 3am, (set the alarm to awake), Then stay up for about an hr, read about lucid dreaming, with intention then place the mask on. The first 4 hrs or so of sleep is not the best LD time. Early am hours (after a short awakening) has proven to inhance REM cycles and lucid dreaming. This is proven and scientific.
Everyone!
lucid dreaming is possible for everyone.
I can vouch for the novadreamer2, so much so I’m going back to Hawaii in March 2014!
Looking forward to ND2 announcement!
Aloha dreamers!
Linda
thank you for all the hours of devoted energy you have invested in this blog, which i just found, as a true treasure mine. dream on!
I neglected to say in my previous post that after placing the novadreamer2 mask on (after a brief awakening), then to go back to sleep. REM cycles occur every 60-90 minutes, at which time the ND2 will recognize this and send flashing light signals, 8 consecutively, then again at a predetermined time setting. Mine was set to flash again after 10 minutes, if I’m still in REM which many times I was! Confirming prolonged LD! Very effective!
Aloha!!!
thank you Linda for your detailed first-hand advice! We are all very much looking forward to ND2’s release on the marketplace.
Hi there! Much interessting web site Mr Hurd. Have you heard of the aurora?
it has just successfuly funded a kickstater campaign :
check this out:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iwinks/the-aurora-dream-enhancing-headband
Hi Ryan, this is a great article. I was looking into the Remee which I have been put off because of the work you have to do on the REM. I’m very keen to get started though as I’ve wanted to lucid dream for years, ever since i saw “waking life.” I’ve even been to the institute of hypnosis to see if I could be hypnotized to lucid dream, it worked a little. But this way seems easier. I’m tempted just to go for the REM-dreamer but it seems silly to buy it if the novadreamer2 is just around the corner (I can only afford one). Do you have any more information on when it will become available? Do you still think it’s worth waiting? many thanks, Jack
Hey Jack, the Lucidity Institute just sent out an announcement YESTERDAY that they will be shipping units in a “quarter revolution of the orbit of the home planet.” That means before Summer 2014! It will be worth it. For more go to http://lucidity.com
Hello Ryan,
Thank you for your article. Lucid dreaming is very fascinating. The developments however dissappoint me. In 1995 I bought the Novadreamer. See where we are now, almost 20 year later. The lucidity institute has no new information and the novadreamer hasn’t seen its 2.0 version. I can hardly believe it.
Stephen LaBerge is sleeping, I suppose.
Greetings,
Willem
I’ve heard from the Lucidity Institute recently that the NovaDreamer 2 is very close to being on the market. Their time table has been way off but the project is moving forward.
Hallo Ryan,
You’re an optimistic person. Hope is lurking, always. Let’s pray en wait. For another twenty years if necessary. I’ve got time. Yet.
Greetings,
Willem
I have purchased and have yet to test the REM Dreamer Pro but I’ve got to say, if it’s a near identical competitor you can’t say it’s wishful thinking. The TWC feature sealed the deal for me and where-as I admit I should have researched my options before making such a purchase, with all the reviews I’ve seen for the machine I’m quite confident that I can work with it and have some success with it despite it apparently being a clone. I haven’t had a proper lucid dream for quite a while and this is my perfect motivation to start training again.