Your wildest dreams can become virtual reality — if you can remember them.
Dutch design studio Modem has introduced its latest project, Dream Recorder. Aptly named, the device allows users to see visual interpretations of their own dreams by harnessing the latest in technology — a video AI model that translates phrases into pictures.
Sentimental sleepers looking to enshrine their dreams in one of the device’s seven memory slots only need to hit the record button and describe their dream aloud. From there, the Dream Recorder will display a brief low-definition, impressionistic-style visualization of the memory narrated, meant to evoke a sense of nostalgia and comfort.
“Dreaming is one of the rare experiences shared by all people. Everyone dreams, which makes it powerful territory to explore. The fascination has always been there,” Modem co-founder Bas van de Poel told Newsweek.
“What’s changed is the technology,” he continued.
“For the first time, we have tools capable of giving shape to the subconscious, turning the invisible into something we can see, and maybe even begin to understand.”
Smartwatches, sensors and apps are aplenty in today’s wellness-oriented world, but van de Poel said that “those tools stop at documentation,” while the Dream Recorder “doesn’t just log your dreams; it translates them.”
That translation comes with a catch, though. You can’t just buy the Dream Recorder — you have to build it yourself.
The Dutch company’s device is DIY by design, meaning all of the code is open-source, the enclosure is 3D printed and the shopping list — which runs prospective purchasers around $333 — is readily available online on the company’s GitHub page.
Savvy programmers are also invited to contribute their own thoughts, code or AI insight to the project’s lead developers.
While the device is a unique product of contemporary technology, its creators also had a vision for it to provide a sense of peace not often found in the digital age.
“It’s not designed for endless accumulation, but for reflecting on the meanings of your dreams as they echo into waking life,” van de Poel said, explaining the device’s limited memory slots, which are capped at 7 days.
“No distractions, no feeds; just a quiet moment to reflect and reconnect with your subconscious,” he concluded.
Though only 11% of Americans reportedly always remember their dreams, new sleep research occurs constantly.
One such study, published early 2025 in the journal Communications Psychology, showed that some specific types of people are more likely to recall their dreams.
Those who maintain positive outlooks about dreaming, are prone to daydreaming, spend longer in light sleep stages, live in warmer weather, and are younger, are all typically able to remember concrete details from their dreams, according to the study.
Lead study authors also said that dreams can offer insight into mental health, psychological conditions and hopefully, future studies of human consciousness.
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