Robert E Rich

US Patent:

55077161, Apr 16, 1996

Filed:

Aug 21, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/748193

Inventors:

Stephen P. LaBerge - Portola Valley CA
Robert S. Rich - Mountain View CA
David K. Wright - Soquel CA
Daniel G. Kottke - Palo Alto CA

Assignee:

The Lucidity Institute, Inc. - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

A61M 2100

US Classification:

600 27

Abstract:

Equipment and methods employed to assist people to achieve lucid dreams (dreams in which one is aware that one is dreaming) function by detecting and monitoring the eye and head movements of sleeping persons for the presence of sufficient eye movement activity in the absence of head movement to indicate the presence of REM sleep and then applying sensory stimuli to sleepers in REM sleep, which if incorporated into their dreams, can cue them that they are dreaming without producing awakening. With this equipment and methods, people are able to have more lucid dreams than they otherwise would. A preferred embodiment includes a face mask that contains two infrared emitter-detector pairs, one for sensing eye movements and one for sensing body movements, a state-test button, and components that produce low intensity sensory stimuli such as light and sound. A microprocessor monitors the fluctuating voltage from the infrared pairs for the occurrence of a predetermined sequence of voltages, adjustable in software, and when the correct sequence occurs, triggers the stimuli-producing components in the mask into activity, to cue the sleeper to become lucid. The methods include many procedures and adjustable parameters for optimizing the timing of the application of the sensory cues to the sleeper.