Pillow-Talk: Seamless Interface for Dream Priming Recalling and Playback

Edwina Portocarreroedwina@media.mit.edu

David Cranorcranor@mit.eduMIT Media Lab

75 Amherst St. Cambridge, MA 02139

V.Michael Bove vmb@media.mit.edu

ABSTRACTPillow-Talk is the first of a series of objects designed to aid creative endeavors through the unobtrusive acquisition of unconscious self-generated content to permit reflexive self-knowledge. Composed of a seamless recording device embedded in a pillow and a playback and visualization system in a jar, Pillow-Talk crystallizes that which we normally forget. This allows users to capture their dreams in a less mediated way, aiding recollection by priming the experience and providing no distraction for recall and capture through embodied interaction.

Author KeywordsReflective Interaction, Creativity Support Tools, Emotion and Affective user Interface, Ubiquitous Computing/Smart Environments

ACM Classification KeywordsH5.2. Information Interfaces and Presentation

ACM General TermsDesign, Human Factors

INTRODUCTIONEither physiologically described as the response to neural processes, psychologically as reflections of the subconscious, religiously as messages from the divine, dreams have been a topic of speculation and interest throughout recorded history and yet, there is no universally agreed biological definition of dreaming. Whether dreams perform an emotional or cognitive function is still unclear and greatly debated, but even if the utility of dreams is unknown they still have meaning. Dreams have been sought for divination, determined dates for religious activities, been aids for healing and served as the source of artistic inspiration. Niels Bohr reports that he developed the model

of the atom based on a dream of sitting on the sun with all the planets hissing around on tiny cords, while Remedios Varo and Dalí found inspiration in them for their paintings and Luis Buñuel, David Lynch and Maya Deren used dreams spatial and temporal qualities in their films [1]. Hippocrates developed the idea that the dream was a window on illness, reflecting the body's state, idea similar to the Huichol Indians from the north of Mexico who use dreams not only as insight on healing, but extend their use to political, spiritual, moral and artistic realms [2].

Recently, due to the sharp increase of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) among soldiers returning from war zones, much attention has been paid to the treatment of nightmares by training patients to rewrite their troubling dreams and rehearsing more benign scenarios through I.R.T (Image Rehearsal Therapy) [3,4,5,6].

Remembering dreams does not come easy for most people. It requires conscious effort and practice. Most of the advise for recalling suggests the use of pen and paper and a flashlight by the bed to jolt notes down. Nonetheless, not only does lying still is crucial to facilitate recall, but even the slightest movement is enough for the dream to evaporate from our minds. Sitting up and writing demands an excessive physical and mental effort that is counterproductive to reminiscing.

Through the use of conductive textiles, Pillow-Talk provides little mediation between dreams, thoughts, musings and their recollection; so that they can later serve the user in whatever way she might see fit: either for inspiration, self knowledge, therapeutical use or pure pleasure.

It has been noted that people almost never have nightmares under scientific observation, while dreams are easier to remember when making a conscious effort. Pillow-Talk in and of itself serves as an inhibiting agent of nightmares and as a primer for recalling. Furthermore, by being a recording and playback system, it could aid treatment by becoming an altering agent of the narrative through its visual design and output.

By pressing a soft sensor stitched onto the Pillow, a recording mechanism is activated, capturing the users narration of their dream memory and transmitting it to the

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Jar, where it is stored for later playback.

Almost any part of our self that is not conscious by day can come through in dreams. We can access thoughts that are wiser than our usual ideas, and behaviors that are more primitive.

The digitalization of information allowed by Pillow-Talk, unlike a dream diary, gives the user the potential to analyze dreams not only on a case by case basis, but provides a powerful tool to evaluate dreams over time, qualify and quantify themes, characters and emotions. Speech to text recognition could allow data analysis, revealing common themes not only presented in the particular user’s dreams, but among different users.

Pillow-Talk could serve as a powerful tool to bring further insight into the fears and desires of a determined culture or generation as interpreted through their dreams. “Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths... dreams talk about permanent conditions within your own psyche as they relate to the temporal conditions of your life right now” [7].

This could be of great importance, for it could help relieve any sense of alienation and create empathy, by illustrating that every individual problem should be seen in reference to the human situation as a whole [8].

RELATED WORKPillow-Talk invites users to bring to light the potential of their sleeping mind by providing a seamless interface where to capture their dreams without distraction. It also offers a tangible and evocative visualization of such as an inviting and intimate interface for playback.

Persuasive Technology and Reflective DesignPersuasive technology aims to change attitudes and habits through persuasion, but it is mostly used in sales and management, politics, religion and public health [9]. Nonetheless, we find it a compelling field, for it exposes the individual to otherwise unrevealed knowledge about themselves.

Unlike most Persuasive Technology, which gathers data usually used by a third party, the Persuasive Mirror gives the user access to her own behavioral data by providing continuous feedback [10].

Omo is a relational machine, making the user conscious of the emotional and visceral aspects of breathing through imitation [11].

Francois Pachet's "Reflexive Interactions" sprouted from the idea that the creation of content technologies can enhance individual realization and establish inner dialogs through which personal content can emerge. They intend to produce an interaction in which an object has to be constructed not directly nor intentionally, but as a bi-product of an interaction between the user and an image of

herself, typically produced by a machine learning system. This is a compelling to our research, if we take the dream as an unconscious construction of an object and it's recalling an interaction with one's own image [12].

Figure1. Jar closed reminiscent of caught fireflies and open Jar with exposed speaker.

Pillows as InterfaceThere is a myriad of projects that make use of the intimate qualities of a pillow as an interface.

The Dreaming Pillow is a beautiful project exploring dream imagery taking the pillow as a canvas. Using capacitive sensing, it is reactive to touch: stroking the pillow enables the user to delve into the oniric landscape [13].

move.me uses pillows as an intimate input and output interface of adaptive ambient technology [14].

Pillowtalk is intended to connect remote lovers. The pillow emits a soft glow when the distance loved one has retired to bed; his heartbeat made audible in real time [15].

DESIGNTechnologyPillow-Talk is composed of two separate but interrelated objects:

The Pillow, a seamless, robust, detachable, wireless interface, captures the users dreams and musings through embedded interaction. And the Jar: a tangible visualization and playback device

The Jar is a simple Mason jar with amber colored LED’s dangling inside it, evocative of fireflies. The neck of the Jar encloses the Animator: a costume made platform designed to expedite the process of prototyping physical computing projects. It is Arduino powered, incorporates data storage, sound playback, 16-channel PWM LED control and wireless communication via an Xbee radio into a single small board. The Animator is powered with a Polymer Lithium Ion 1000mAh battery and a simple speaker is used for playback.

It was important to the design to make it visually evocative and have a seamless user interface that drew from the natural affordances of the object.

By adding a piece of conductive Velcro to the lid and two small pieces of copper tape to the mouth of the jar, playback is activated just by unscrewing the lid. No obvious switches are needed: voiced dreams start flowing from the mouth of the jar.

Both objects communicate through Xbee radios to a central

computer which runs the software to capture, save and transmit the recordings.

Inspired by Leah Buechley’s work on textile computing, the Pillow makes use soft sensors as the primary interface. Considerations such as handling and washing have been crucial to the design, thus the circuit has been specifically made to resist every day use while providing optimum comfort and performance [16].

Early DesignThe first Pillow iteration made use of a Lilypad Arduino, an XBee radio module, a Lilypad Xbee breakout board, a Lilypad LiPower and a Bluetooth mini headset for recording sewn into a small pillow nested into the normal size pillow. All connections were stitched together using conductive thread. This comprised the main recording system, which was attached to the exposed switch with metal snaps. Flexible and Soft Velcro stitched across with conductive thread composed the soft switch and was the main user interface.

Interaction DesignIt’s impossible to learn from your dreams if you can’t remember them. The proposed solutions for dream recollection usually require the dreamer to:

- Prime oneself onto remembering dreams. Pillow-Talk, by being a pillow specially designed for dream recollection, serves as an incentive. Its design invokes its purpose, providing a gentle reminder to the user.

- Keep a pen and paper by one's bed. A dream journal can encourage recall and, at the very least, help document any fragment you do remember upon awaking. It has been noted though, that to capture detail it is best to lie still. Pen and paper requires physical and mental effort, thus distracting the dream. By making a pillow the interface for recalling, we minimize the effort and hence optimize the chances for recall.

Pillow-Talk allows the user to record her dreams by simply bending the pillow’s corner to start recording. This makes it hard to accidentally activate the switch while sleeping but easy enough to do upon awaking without requiring strenuous effort. Unbending the corner saves the recording onto a file on the user's computer and sends it to the Jar.

Transmission feedback is visually represented by dimming the otherwise glowing LED's and flickering one, acknowledging acquisition.

The user, whenever she sees convenient, can go back to listening the captured dreams by simply opening the Jar. A randomly picked dream is then streamed from the mouth of the Jar. Additionally, the audio files are stored onto the user's computer.

While Pillow-Talk is envisioned as a tool for remembering

dreams, the use of voice as the input permits otherwise impossible detail and nuance expressed in the prosody of the dreamer to shed insight into the emotional impact of the dream content.

Changes Prompted by User InteractionsMost individuals reported holding the switch closed as they were recording, making no real use of the hook and loop advantages of Velcro. Furthermore, constant use showed significant wear and tear on the Soft and Flexible Velcro, making the only contact point the thread it had been sewn with; and while more robust Velcro would have proved more resistant, it would also have been harsh to the touch.

Having different elements sewn together implied a complicated stitching process. The tread frayed over time, changing its resistance.

Figure2. The inside of Pillow: a neoprene pouch with electronic components and the exposed switch: two patches of conductive fabric personalized after the users renderings.

Our new design consists of a much simpler, smaller and safer system. We take advantage of the compact design of the Arduino Fio. It integrates the Xbee radio break-out board and the power supply, thus leaving almost no need for stitching. The Arduino Fio, a Polymer Lithium Ion 1000mAh battery and an Xbee radio module are encapsulated in a neoprene pouch. The pouch uses snaps for easy access, powering and removal of components. This minimizes stitching with conductive thread, only needed for the connection to the switch.

Taking in consideration the daily use of a pillow, two long pieces of isolated stretchy conductive fabric are sewn into the pins of the micro-controller on one end and onto metal snaps on the opposite end connecting to the exposed switch.

We also decided to model the exposed switch out from a user’s renderings of her dream creatures. We scanned, vectorized and laser cut the hand drawn illustrations on conductive fabric. Personalization of the pillow proved to be a good iteration giving the Pillow further intimate appeal.

EVALUATIONWe conducted a pilot study to identify the benefits of our idea and the implementation of the design.

Pilot StudyOur pilot study helped identify the benefits of using Pillow-

Talk over a paper based dream diary. We considered three cases: a user who normally remembered his dreams but fails at writing them down, a user who rarely remembers a dream and a user who remembers his dreams periodically.

We asked each individual to be in possession of Pillow-Talk for 3 to 5 days. In all cases, having a pillow specifically designed to record dreams onto served as a primer for retrieval. While two users presented a more quiet sleep, one misplaced the pillow while sleeping and thus failed at accessing the switch and recording on multiple occasions. Another design issue was the need to turn on the device before retiring to sleep. While sometimes a conscious effort was made, on many others the need to sleep was stronger than the reminder. The Jar proved to be a delightful playback object, stimulating the use of the Pillow and adding value to the user's perceptions of their unconscious wonderings. The randomized playback was sometimes welcomed, while other times it proved frustrating when having the desire to listen to a specific dream. In no occasion was discomfort reported.

FUTURE WORKBased on evaluation, future development will include having multiple switch locations so that the user need not to find the placement of a single one upon awaking.

Designing the Pillow onto a certain shape that would inhibit it's misplacement is also considered.

Visualizing a captured dream though the flickering light of the Jar is evocative and stimulating, but it fails at maintaining each dream's particular quality. We plan a new interface, in which each dream is coined onto a unique material representation. The Jar would then become a platform for playback.

Image Rehearsal Therapy (I.R.T) opens new possibilities in the design of Pillow-Talk, extending it from a capture and playback mechanism, to being a trigger for dream content through its visual appearance.

CONCLUSIONSWe presented Pillow-Talk, a tangible and seamless device for dream priming , recalling and playback.

Through our evaluation, we observed that Pillow-Talk encouraged dream recalling with its mere presence and bridged the gap between dream recalling and the excessive effort required by writing. The use of voice was successful at providing cues about the emotional state of the dreamer while recalling, which could serve as a powerful tool of auto analysis.

The work incited curiosity among peers offering different applications including the treatment of nightmares for people suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSMany thanks to the Media Lab Community, specially to the High-Low Tech Group.

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