Google Nidra

Nidra [noun]: a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep

Loneliness is a growing global epidemic, affecting millions of people each year as increased global mobility separates individuals from their families and support networks, and living abroad for work and education becomes increasingly common. Google Nidra is a device that helps people take control over the contents of their dreams, enabling them to reconsolidate positive memories, or even relive special moments of someone they love - all during sleep.

Timeline

Ongoing - 4 Weeks

Spring 2026

Skills

System Thinking

Brand-Driven Design

User-Centered Research

Prototyping

User Testing

Imagine a future where you can relive your favorite memories of the people you love.

Minority Report (2002)

Google Nidra is a bedside device that enables users to control the contents of their dreams through sound.

Powered by Google Photos and Gemini, Nidra enables you to consolidate memories and reflect upon the past—without disturbing your natural sleep patterns.

Form studies to explore what Google feels like as a brand, especially in a bedroom setting. Many different non-screen based interactions were explored.

Bridge the Distance

Be with your family, no matter where they are. Nidra creates vivid experiences that help you feel like you're really there - not looking through a small rectangle of pixels. Wake up in a better mood, with a dream worth sharing.

Concept Framing Through User interviews + Questionnaire

Validating the demand for dream prompting for those who are long distance with friends & family by gathering qualitative data from surveys

Exploring prior research about sleep and how sound influences dreams helped surfaced new possibilities and also revealed the limitations of the technology.

A Working Prototype

Dream influencing is done through a combination of REM sleep tracking using IR sensor, and playing dream-inducing soundscapes created using audio clips from your photo library. Prototype built with Arduino and C++

How might we design a form of humanistic technology that celebrates emotion, and the experience of living?

Work in progress.

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