Pillow-Talk: Seamless Interface for Dream Priming ...

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

Edwina Portocarrero David Cranor V.Michael Bove

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

MIT Media Lab

75 Amherst St. Cambridge,

MA 02139

ABSTRACT of the atom based on a dream of sitting on the sun with all
Pillow-Talk is the first of a series of objects designed to aid the planets hissing around on tiny cords, while Remedios
creative endeavors through the unobtrusive acquisition of Varo and Dalí found inspiration in them for their paintings
unconscious self-generated content to permit reflexive self- and Luis Buñuel, David Lynch and Maya Deren used
knowledge. Composed of a seamless recording device dreams spatial and temporal qualities in their films [1].
embedded in a pillow and a playback and visualization Hippocrates developed the idea that the dream was a
system in a jar, Pillow-Talk crystallizes that which we window on illness, reflecting the body's state, idea similar
normally forget. This allows users to capture their dreams to the Huichol Indians from the north of Mexico who use
in a less mediated way, aiding recollection by priming the dreams not only as insight on healing, but extend their use
experience and providing no distraction for recall and to political, spiritual, moral and artistic realms [2].
capture through embodied interaction.
Recently, due to the sharp increase of PTSD (Post-

Author Keywords Traumatic Stress Disorder) among soldiers returning from
Reflective Interaction, Creativity Support Tools, Emotion war zones, much attention has been paid to the treatment of
nightmares by training patients to rewrite their troubling
and Affective user Interface, Ubiquitous Computing/Smart dreams and rehearsing more benign scenarios through I.R.T
Environments (Image Rehearsal Therapy) [3,4,5,6].

ACM Classification Keywords Remembering dreams does not come easy for most people.
H5.2. Information Interfaces and Presentation It requires conscious effort and practice. Most of the advise
for recalling suggests the use of pen and paper and a
ACM General Terms flashlight by the bed to jolt notes down. Nonetheless, not
Design, Human Factors only does lying still is crucial to facilitate recall, but even
the slightest movement is enough for the dream to
INTRODUCTION evaporate from our minds. Sitting up and writing demands
Either physiologically described as the response to neural an excessive physical and mental effort that is
processes, psychologically as reflections of the counterproductive to reminiscing.
subconscious, religiously as messages from the divine,
dreams have been a topic of speculation and interest Through the use of conductive textiles, Pillow-Talk
throughout recorded history and yet, there is no universally provides little mediation between dreams, thoughts,
agreed biological definition of dreaming. Whether dreams musings and their recollection; so that they can later serve
perform an emotional or cognitive function is still unclear the user in whatever way she might see fit: either for
and greatly debated, but even if the utility of dreams is inspiration, self knowledge, therapeutical use or pure
unknown they still have meaning. Dreams have been sought pleasure.
for divination, determined dates for religious activities,
been aids for healing and served as the source of artistic It has been noted that people almost never have nightmares
inspiration. Niels Bohr reports that he developed the model under scientific observation, while dreams are easier to
remember when making a conscious effort. Pillow-Talk in
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for and of itself serves as an inhibiting agent of nightmares and
personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are as a primer for recalling. Furthermore, by being a recording
not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies and playback system, it could aid treatment by becoming
bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, an altering agent of the narrative through its visual design
or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior and output.
specific permission and/or a fee.
TEI’11, January 22–26, 2011, Funchal, Portugal. By pressing a soft sensor stitched onto the Pillow, a
Copyright 2011 ACM 978-1-4503-0478-8/11/01...$10.00. recording mechanism is activated, capturing the users
narration of their dream memory and transmitting it to the

Jar, where it is stored for later playback. herself, typically produced by a machine learning system.
This is a compelling to our research, if we take the dream as
Almost any part of our self that is not conscious by day can an unconscious construction of an object and it's recalling
come through in dreams. We can access thoughts that are an interaction with one's own image [12].
wiser than our usual ideas, and behaviors that are more
primitive. Figure1. Jar closed reminiscent of caught fireflies and open
Jar with exposed speaker.
The digitalization of information allowed by Pillow-Talk,
unlike a dream diary, gives the user the potential to analyze Pillows as Interface
dreams not only on a case by case basis, but provides a There is a myriad of projects that make use of the intimate
powerful tool to evaluate dreams over time, qualify and qualities of a pillow as an interface.
quantify themes, characters and emotions. Speech to text
recognition could allow data analysis, revealing common The Dreaming Pillow is a beautiful project exploring dream
themes not only presented in the particular user’s dreams, imagery taking the pillow as a canvas. Using capacitive
but among different users. sensing, it is reactive to touch: stroking the pillow enables
the user to delve into the oniric landscape [13].
Pillow-Talk could serve as a powerful tool to bring further
insight into the fears and desires of a determined culture or move.me uses pillows as an intimate input and output
generation as interpreted through their dreams. “Myths are interface of adaptive ambient technology [14].
public dreams, dreams are private myths... dreams talk
about permanent conditions within your own psyche as they Pillowtalk is intended to connect remote lovers. The pillow
relate to the temporal conditions of your life right now” [7]. emits a soft glow when the distance loved one has retired to
bed; his heartbeat made audible in real time [15].
This could be of great importance, for it could help relieve
any sense of alienation and create empathy, by illustrating DESIGN
that every individual problem should be seen in reference to Technology
the human situation as a whole [8]. Pillow-Talk is composed of two separate but interrelated
objects:
RELATED WORK
Pillow-Talk invites users to bring to light the potential of The Pillow, a seamless, robust, detachable, wireless interface,
their sleeping mind by providing a seamless interface where captures the users dreams and musings through embedded
to capture their dreams without distraction. It also offers a interaction. And the Jar: a tangible visualization and playback
tangible and evocative visualization of such as an inviting device
and intimate interface for playback.
The Jar is a simple Mason jar with amber colored LED’s
Persuasive Technology and Reflective Design dangling inside it, evocative of fireflies. The neck of the Jar
Persuasive technology aims to change attitudes and habits encloses the Animator: a costume made platform designed to
through persuasion, but it is mostly used in sales and expedite the process of prototyping physical computing
management, politics, religion and public health [9]. projects. It is Arduino powered, incorporates data storage,
Nonetheless, we find it a compelling field, for it exposes the sound playback, 16-channel PWM LED control and wireless
individual to otherwise unrevealed knowledge about communication via an Xbee radio into a single small board.
themselves. The Animator is powered with a Polymer Lithium Ion
1000mAh battery and a simple speaker is used for playback.
Unlike most Persuasive Technology, which gathers data
usually used by a third party, the Persuasive Mirror gives It was important to the design to make it visually evocative
the user access to her own behavioral data by providing and have a seamless user interface that drew from the natural
continuous feedback [10]. affordances of the object.

Omo is a relational machine, making the user conscious of By adding a piece of conductive Velcro to the lid and two
the emotional and visceral aspects of breathing through small pieces of copper tape to the mouth of the jar, playback
imitation [11]. is activated just by unscrewing the lid. No obvious switches
are needed: voiced dreams start flowing from the mouth of
Francois Pachet's "Reflexive Interactions" sprouted from the jar.
the idea that the creation of content technologies can
enhance individual realization and establish inner dialogs Both objects communicate through Xbee radios to a central
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

computer which runs the software to capture, save and dreams, the use of voice as the input permits otherwise
transmit the recordings. impossible detail and nuance expressed in the prosody of
the dreamer to shed insight into the emotional impact of the
Inspired by Leah Buechley’s work on textile computing, the dream content.
Pillow makes use soft sensors as the primary interface.
Considerations such as handling and washing have been Changes Prompted by User Interactions
crucial to the design, thus the circuit has been specifically Most individuals reported holding the switch closed as they
made to resist every day use while providing optimum were recording, making no real use of the hook and loop
comfort and performance [16]. advantages of Velcro. Furthermore, constant use showed
significant wear and tear on the Soft and Flexible Velcro,
Early Design making the only contact point the thread it had been sewn
The first Pillow iteration made use of a Lilypad Arduino, with; and while more robust Velcro would have proved
an XBee radio module, a Lilypad Xbee breakout board, a more resistant, it would also have been harsh to the touch.
Lilypad LiPower and a Bluetooth mini headset for
recording sewn into a small pillow nested into the normal Having different elements sewn together implied a
size pillow. All connections were stitched together using complicated stitching process. The tread frayed over time,
conductive thread. This comprised the main recording changing its resistance.
system, which was attached to the exposed switch with
metal snaps. Flexible and Soft Velcro stitched across with Figure2. The inside of Pillow: a neoprene pouch with
conductive thread composed the soft switch and was the electronic components and the exposed switch: two patches of
main user interface. conductive fabric personalized after the users renderings.

Interaction Design Our new design consists of a much simpler, smaller and
It’s impossible to learn from your dreams if you can’t safer system. We take advantage of the compact design of
remember them. The proposed solutions for dream the Arduino Fio. It integrates the Xbee radio break-out
recollection usually require the dreamer to: board and the power supply, thus leaving almost no need
for stitching. The Arduino Fio, a Polymer Lithium Ion
- Prime oneself onto remembering dreams. Pillow-Talk, by 1000mAh battery and an Xbee radio module are
being a pillow specially designed for dream recollection, encapsulated in a neoprene pouch. The pouch uses snaps for
serves as an incentive. Its design invokes its purpose, easy access, powering and removal of components. This
providing a gentle reminder to the user. minimizes stitching with conductive thread, only needed for
the connection to the switch.
- Keep a pen and paper by one's bed. A dream journal can
encourage recall and, at the very least, help document any Taking in consideration the daily use of a pillow, two long
fragment you do remember upon awaking. It has been noted pieces of isolated stretchy conductive fabric are sewn into
though, that to capture detail it is best to lie still. Pen and the pins of the micro-controller on one end and onto metal
paper requires physical and mental effort, thus distracting snaps on the opposite end connecting to the exposed switch.
the dream. By making a pillow the interface for recalling,
we minimize the effort and hence optimize the chances for We also decided to model the exposed switch out from a
recall. user’s renderings of her dream creatures. We scanned,
vectorized and laser cut the hand drawn illustrations on
Pillow-Talk allows the user to record her dreams by simply conductive fabric. Personalization of the pillow proved to
bending the pillow’s corner to start recording. This makes it be a good iteration giving the Pillow further intimate
hard to accidentally activate the switch while sleeping but appeal.
easy enough to do upon awaking without requiring
strenuous effort. Unbending the corner saves the recording EVALUATION
onto a file on the user's computer and sends it to the Jar. We conducted a pilot study to identify the benefits of our
idea and the implementation of the design.
Transmission feedback is visually represented by dimming
the otherwise glowing LED's and flickering one, Pilot Study
acknowledging acquisition. Our pilot study helped identify the benefits of using Pillow-

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

Talk over a paper based dream diary. We considered three ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
cases: a user who normally remembered his dreams but Many thanks to the Media Lab Community, specially to the
fails at writing them down, a user who rarely remembers a High-Low Tech Group.
dream and a user who remembers his dreams periodically.
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