An innovative device that captures and plays back dreams has been developed by Japanese researchers, providing fresh perspectives on the subconscious. The gadget, created by Professor Yukiyasu Kamitani at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, analyses brain activity as a person sleeps using artificial intelligence and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The neural activity of volunteers entering REM sleep was monitored for the study. Participants told researchers about their dreams when they woke up, which helped the researchers link certain dream themes to certain brain patterns. By compiling a database of these patterns, researchers were able to predict dream themes with an accuracy of 60%, increasing to nearly 70% for specific images.
According to Professor Kamitani, the researchers were able to correlate verbal reports of dreams with observed brain activity. The device’s ability to diagnose mental health problems and comprehend human consciousness through dream content analysis was discussed by Dr. Mark Stokes of the University of Oxford.
This technology, even if it is still in its early stages of development, could make possible personalised assessments of psychological problems. Subsequent advancements might enhance the clarity and accuracy of dream reconstructions, hence advancing scientific progress toward complete dream decoding.
