“Startup Creates ‘Dream-Stealing’ Headband to Control Lucid Dreams!”
In a groundbreaking move, tech startup Prophetic claims to have created the world’s first wearable device for stabilizing lucid dreams. Co-founders Eric Wollberg and Wesley Berry have developed a headband-like device called the “Halo,” which uses focused ultrasound signals to help users become aware that they are dreaming and even control parts of their dreams.
The startup has managed to secure a $1.1 million funding round, with participation from prestigious investors such as the a16z Scout Fund and BoxGroup. To prototype the Halo, Prophetic has teamed up with Card79, the same company that designed hardware for Elon Musk’s Neuralink.
Prophetic’s invention makes waves in the artificial intelligence (AI) and wearables space, as more companies invest in devices and wearables. Humane AI recently debuted its AI Pin wearable at Paris Fashion Week, while design guru Jony Ive and Sam Altman from OpenAI are reportedly working on an AI hardware project.
While Prophetic plans to showcase a semi-working prototype later this month or in early November, a full test of the device will have to wait until the completion of a yearlong study on brain imaging with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. The startup’s ambitious mission is to collectively understand the nature of consciousness, and they compare themselves to tech giant OpenAI in their quest.
Lucid dreaming has fascinated both the public and the neuroscience community for years, referencing popular films like “The Matrix” and “Inception.” Neuroscientific studies have explored the subject since the 1970s, with a recent surge in interest due to expanding cognitive neuroscience research.
The idea for the Halo came from Wollberg’s personal experience with lucid dreams, which he found to be a profound and transformative experience. Berry, on the other hand, had a background in neurotech prototyping and AI modeling, working with Grimes to explore what people visualized in their minds.
Prophetic’s success hinges on the results of the yearlong study with the Donders Institute, which will provide crucial training data for their AI. They are specifically looking for gamma frequencies in brain waves, which are associated with deep focus and active prefrontal cortex, a characteristic of lucid dreams.
The prototype aims to use focused ultrasounds to stimulate the user’s prefrontal cortex while they are dreaming. Berry draws a parallel between this stimulation and improved working memory, suggesting that the device could enhance the experience of not remembering how one arrived at a particular location during a dream. Thus, he believes there is a “really, really, really good shot that this works.”
With plans to ship the devices starting in spring 2025, Prophetic is still a way off from delivering on its promises. But for those eager to take control of their own dreams, the Halo offers an incredibly exciting prospect.
Can you imagine controlling your wildest dreams? Comment below and let us know what you think of Prophetic’s dream-stealing device!
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