Dream or nightmare? The start-up Prophetic wants to make you work, even when you sleep. She assures that its technology is capable of inducing lucid dreams in its wearer, which allows them to increase their creativity.
In lucid dreams, the subject is aware that they are dreaming. Although neuroscientists estimate that approximately 70% of individuals will experience a lucid dream at least once in their life, achieving this state remains particularly difficult. According to Prophetic, it offers complete freedom, because the dreamer is no longer constrained by “conventional physical laws: gravity, conservation of energy, conservation of mass “. Despite everything, he remains able to make conscious decisions.
“ It is not for nothing that great names in science, mathematics and art attribute their most important discoveries to their lucid dreams », Continues the start-up on its website.
The same designer as Neuralink
With her Halo headband, she claims to be able to help people experience lucid dreams. The technology leverages transcranial focused ultrasound (TUS), a non-invasive technique that involves sending focused ultrasound signals to activate the dream state. This gives workers the opportunity to practice while they sleep, to demonstrate or solve problems. “ The only limit is your imagination », comments Eric Wollberg, founder and CEO of Prophetic.
To develop Halo, the company partnered with Afshin Mehin, who also worked on the development of the Neuralink implant. The company, co-founded by Elon Musk, is developing a brain-computer interface. Prophetic has already raised more than a million dollars to develop its banner.
A science still very uncertain
It is not the only entity developing technology related to lucid dreams. Researchers at MIT, for example, have developed a bracelet supposed to manipulate its wearer’s dreams. In addition to creativity, several fields of application are possible: work on nightmares, patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders, learning languages during sleep, etc.
For the moment, however, no device has managed to offer a consistent experience to consumers, especially since the scientific community is not unanimous regarding the capacity of transcranial focused ultrasound to induce lucid dreams. Eric Wollberg says his company is waiting for new data, which will allow it to refine its technology next year.
The Halo headband should be available around 2025, for a price between $1,500 and $2,000… Does that tempt you?
Sources: Prophetic, Futurism, The Independent
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