AI recorder replays people’s dreams as videos to recall what they visualized in their sleep

device ‘dream recorder’ uses AI for playback

Modem invents Dream Recorder, an AI device that can record and replay the user’s dreams by generating reels and projecting them on the speaker-like display. Rendered in ultra-low-definition form, the video filter that the tool applies is intentionally made to match the way people typically remember their dreams: hazy, at times incoherent, nostalgic even. Users have the free will to choose the visual style they want to apply to the reels before using the AI device, and the Dream Recorder repeats what they envisioned in their sleep in that filter.

To use the tool, users place the gadget on the bedside table, and after waking up, they press a button and speak into the device, narrating what they dreamed of to it. The audio recording uses its system and AI to understand the content of the dream. It processes the spoken words using the embedded language model by extracting themes, ideas, and terms from what the user is saying. Then, it generates a video based on the dream and shows it on the screen built into the device in an ultra-low-definition filter style.

all images courtesy of Modem

Gadget that doubles as digital journal and night lamp

The project – initiated by the design studio Modem comprising creative technologist Mark Hinch, industrial designers Ben Levinas and Joe Tsao, and illustrator Alexis Jamet – acts as digital dream journal. It stores the dream in video format instead of text, and users can replay what they imagined through the installed screen on the speaker-like device. The interface also allows browsing through past videos to help users study their dream patterns over time. The device supports self-assembly, as the creators made the design open source, so the code, documentation, and 3D-printable parts are all available online. 

The build doesn’t need soldering, and all components are off-the-shelf and can be assembled using standard tools. Parts-wise, the AI recorder includes a microphone, speaker, processing unit, and display. The microphone captures the voice, the processing unit runs the AI model, the display shows the video, and the system uses edge computing, which means it runs locally without needing internet access. The Dream Recorder also includes local storage to keep multiple video files for later viewing, and it’s possible to 3D print the shell of the AI device in glow-in-the-dark format so the users can see it at night, doubling as a temporary night lamp, too. 

Modem invents Dream Recorder, an AI device that can record and replay users’ dreams

detailed view of the speaker-like device

the display shows reels rendered in ultra-low-definition form

sample reel that the AI system interpreted

the video filter matches the way people typically remember their dreams

users speak to the device, and it generates the reels

project info:

name: Dream Recorder

design: Modem | @modem.works

team: Mark Hinch, Ben Levinas, Joe Tsao, Alexis Jamet

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