The CDC reports about one in three adults in the U.S. does not get enough sleep (which the CDC defines as 7 or more hours per 24-hour period). With an admitted bias against pharmaceutical use to rack up more sleep hours, we’ve covered a variety of wearable technologies designed to do the job. We’ve been especially intrigued by tech that uses EEG sensors to track brainwaves and converts the data to sounds to help you stay asleep such as Dreem and Sleep Shepherd Blue.
Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Exertion Games Lab recently reported on their findings of the sleep support from an immersive multisensory VR experience. Called Inter-Dream, the technology uses kaleidoscopic images generated from the user’s brainwaves, an interactive bed, and ambient music. The visuals are translations of EEG signals. Inter-Dream was designed by Dr. Betty Sargeant of RMIT and Justin Dwyer from Melbourne University. Exertion Games Lab Ph.D. researcher Natahan Semertzidis presented his analysis of the physiological and psychological data and user interviews at the CHI 2019 Human-Computer Interaction international conference in Glasgow this May.
The study reported significant decreases in negative emotion and fear along with increases in positive emotions and serenity. Semertzidis did not conclude that Inter-Dream is a solution for people who get inadequate sleep. The point of the study was to demonstrate the use of neurofeedback and technology to induce restfulness and help people fall asleep.
