I just purchased a REMDreamer and thought I'd post my experiences with it so far. I will continue to update this thread as I play around with it.

Initial Thoughts

I got it off their official website, which is the cheapest option on the web. I think a single person runs the company, because I got an email from Pawel a few days later telling me my package was on the way. He also sent me a tracking number when I asked for one. A few days later I got a soft envelope in the mail with my address handwritten on the front:

packaging.jpg

Within the envelope was this box:

box.jpg

The mask itself was folded neatly inside along with a user guide.

mask_01.jpg

The mask was not quite what I expected. From pictures posted online, it looks like it has a soft foam interior so that it will contour to your eyes and face. In fact, the foam is actually stiff, flat, and inflexible. It's there to protect you from the circuit board inserted into the front of the mask! There are two little holes in the eye holes, through which you can see peeking the two light-emitting-diodes, as well as a small black infrared sensor in the right eye hole:

mask_02.jpg

To get familiar with and operate the device, you have to carefully pull out the circuit board so that you can see the LED display and the buttons used to program and operate it.

Operation

When removing or re-inserting the circuit board, you have to be careful because all the components are unprotected and will try to snag on the cloth of the mask. This sounds a little ridiculous, but it's actually not difficult at all once you get over the surprise of having to actually deal with the raw components of this device, instead of the more streamlined plastic-covered interfaces we are used to with modern devices. I think it's clear that this product was created with limited funds, and part of why it's so cheap is that it emphasizes function over form. Using a flexible, ergonomically shaped circuit would have cost a lot more in R&D.

circuit_board.jpg

Here's a breakdown of what you are looking at in the picture above:

- The two round metal discs are the batteries.
- Between the batteries, at the top of the board, is an LED display (currently off).
- To the right of the LED display is a button used to turn it on and cycle through the menu buttons.
- The next button is the "SELECT" button, used to toggle settings or cycle through values.
- In the middle of the board is the last button. You can use it to "test" the device by holding it down, at which point it will flash or beep according to the settings you've specified so you can preview what it will look like. If you just click it once it will add 10 minutes to the delay time (more on that below).

To use this device, you can choose from one of three presets, which represent light, medium or deep sleepers. The presets control how bright the lights are, how many times they flash, how frequently they flash, and how long each flash lasts. As you might expect, the deep sleeper preset flashes the lights brightly, quickly, and for a long time.

I started with the medium preset and then adjusted the individual settings afterwards. Once you've got the settings dialed in you no longer need to remove the circuit board from the mask, since you can turn it on and off by hitting the buttons through the cloth of the mask. When it's turned on, the REM detector won't turn on for a 10 minute delay time. You can increase the delay time in 10 minute increments each time you hit the previously mentioned "test" button.

So, if I wake up in the middle of the night and want to use the mask:
- Put it on my head and lie down comfortably.
- Hit the "on" button. The lights flash briefly and it beeps once.
- Hit the "test" button 3-5 times so give myself 30-50 minutes to fall asleep.

Turning it off is a bit of a pain. You have to cycle through the menu options to the 13th option, which turns it off. So if you don't want to look at the LED display, you have to hit the menu button 12 times and then the SELECT button to turn it off. It doesn't beep when you turn it off, which would be helpful!

Does it work?

This is the million dollar question, and it's not something I can answer yet since I've only owned it for about a week. I will update this thread as I continue to experiment with this device and post my thoughts, discoveries, successes and failures.

So far I have been trying to figure out the best way to use this device. The REM detector is quite sensitive and works great, as confirmed by the REM Sensor Test mode, where you activate the mode and the device beeps every time it detects eye movement. You can lower and raise the sensitivity from 0-9.

I have tried using it in WBTB in the morning, but results so far are inconclusive. I have not noticed flashing lights in my dreams, or at least I don't remember any lights: instead I wake up groggily with a vague memory of bright flashing lights near my face. I think either the lights are too powerful or the sensitivity is too high. More experimentation is needed.

I also have an idea to try to use this thing for DEILD. In the past I have been unable to find a way to wake myself up from a dream without moving, in order to try DEILD. It's difficult to calibrate the alarm just right, since it tends to either shock me awake or not wake me up at all, and by the time I turn it off I am too awake to fall back asleep. If I turn the brightness and duration way up, this device should wake me up in a very unusual way, and the hope is that I will therefore remember to not move and attempt and immediate DEILD.

This is my next experiment phase, I will post results later.