There’s a new free app available for iOS devices called “Dream: ON” that’s supposedly intended to shape what sort of dreams you have. A psychologist named Richard Wiseman from the Univeristy of Hertfordshire teamed up with the developers from YUZA software company to create the app, and they are currently looking for volunteers to test it out and submit a report of their dream to see whether it really works.
Here’s what happens—users indicate the time that they want to wake up and the app uses the iOS device’s microphone to monitor their movement in bed to determine whether they are in REM sleep, which is the sleep stage where dreams occur. Approximately 20 minutes before intended wake up time, if that person’s movements do indicate that he or she is in REM sleep, the app will play the selected audio “soundscapes” to trigger a certain dream. Among some of the soundscapes are ones called Peaceful Garden and A Trip to Tokyo. Of course, what exactly happens in that “peaceful garden” will vary.
When the user starts moving again, signifying that they’re no longer dreaming, the alarm will sound to wake them up. Supposedly, they will also wake up feeling more refreshed due to not being woken up during REM sleep. After a few months, Wiseman and his team will review the submitted user reports to see the results. If the app works well, we can expect to see new soundscapes—some of which will be free and others not. Also, we can expect this app on the Android market soon as well.