# Lucid Dreaming > Attaining Lucidity > Lucid Aids >  >  Iwinks Aurora "dream band" was not sent out, and I can prove it.

## pointofbeing

The design looks like a zeo ripoff, pure and simple. But that's not what really makes me think somethings up.   

So in 2016 they started shipping Aurora early access  to select kickstarter donators.    Now I don't know about you, but most people who received a legendarily delayed kickstarter that most people thought of as dead, would be like *beep* this I'm gonging to post this shit up on the internet!  Hey guys look Here's my youtube of my unboxing of a lucid dreaming inducer!   

Now why I think theses shipped units are a smokescreen, and never happened is simple. Iwinks has a picture of the supposed early access box unboxed with the contents and everything all neat and proper looking.   Now if you go to google and look up ps4 and do a google this image on a random ps4 unboxing, under the matching images you will get since it's all neat and proper looking a very generic ton of matching image's of ps4 box on a generic floor, all kinds of unboxing youtube videos, blogs, ect and all kinds of ps4 images that are "matching image" because google can't tell the difference as long as open ps4 on a generic floor is present, it will be many pages of matching images that clearly are not the same image.  

But What happens when you google the image on their own kickstarter that is the early access box that has been apparently already sent to a lot of backers, who have been waiting three to four years to post images and videos of their fancy lucid dream predictor? You know they would eat that stuff up.  The only place a reverse image has any pictures of that box and it's contents is kick starter.  That's right.   Not even the same image let alone any that are similar looking and just containing the same ea box.  You can google as many unboxing images as you want on any major electronic item you can think, you will get results listed as "matching image" that are not to the human eye.  

On top of that, it was recently revealed NON of the sd memory on any of the units worked. So they are buying time by telling the kickstarters that people are testing out the unit till next year. Hard to believe people are testing a unit with no working memory. When the SD  issue leaked out on the net, they say oh just a quick fix.   Evey year they say oh a quick fix.  The electrodes don't fit?! Oh a quick fix.  The strap's not clicking, and all have to be replaced?! Oh a quick fix. What's that? Your Chinese factory burnt down?! Oh a quick fix.

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## Highlander

I'm pretty sure Ben Rubin (the ZEO guy) is connected with iWinks, hence the connection. Hardly an original idea though.

Like you, I did start looking in to it, but it is like a never ending saga. A soap opera or telenovella even. I just heard and saw the same old news and updates like a worn out record. So I sort of lost touch with the campaign. People are rightly fed up. I think Trump calls this type of thing "Fake News". I often wonder if it is some form of smokescreen, maybe to get more pre-orders to enable more funding. The money cannot last for ever. This has to be finite, before the sh*t hits the fan. I'd like to use the word "scam" but it could be more of a case where there are too many fiddly issues or hurdles to overcome, like the SD memory problems you mention. 

Maybe the creators have bit off more than they could chew?

I do feel sorry for those that backed the idea. I mean it has been _years_. Did you back the project yourself?

You would have thought there is more out there online, as you say with the initial excitement and YouTube videos and reviews, even if there is/was a NDA "gagging order" imposed.

One guy noticed they (iWinks) used the same tray photo between two different production updates. Upon noticing he asked for an explanation. The creator never replied back in the comments section. There could however have been a rational explanation, i.e. lazyness? Or... ? Who knows with this motley outfit?

I've tried reverse googling the battery images. Especially the tray with the pcbs all arranged on it. Iv'e tried looking for any clues for photoshopping, duplicates, lighting, etc. and if the batteries have serial nos. below the barcodes. but they look like part nos. I dunno? Even so, it is just a bit odd how they come off the production line like that. I mean would the Li-ion batteries be strewn about all over the place in a haphazard manner?

I had a job once in an electronics factory where we would stack small electronic boards in compartments off the production line. The small pcbs had components on them, surface mounted, etc. The open boards were always put in conductive (anti-static bags), before inspection. Extra components (like batteries) would be fitted at a later stage, before assembly further on in the process.

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## pointofbeing

> I dunno? Even so, it is just a bit odd how they come off the production line like that. I mean would the Li-ion batteries be strewn about all over the place in a haphazard manner?



I originally went to the kickstarter page back in the day, to back them, but then saw the video, and realized instantly it was not a working prototype, it looked way too thin in the original "working unit" So I backed out knowing even if they would ever produce something it would be a wreck.   I also noticed their were no electrodes outside of the forehead.  I had a discussion years ago, with a user who was affiliated with them, who said their software makes a clean rem signal.  An app can only do so much, cleaning noise from a weak rem signal with noise, still ends as a weak rem signal.   Plus at the time he said the software makes it clean, they had no working prototype. After that conversation, I have felt the desire to make sure people know just how little these guy's know about the device they claim they already have working. 

Highlander, I take it you saw the new "mass production"   picture. OMG those poor poor circuit boards, what did they do to have a heavy electrically active li-ion loosely piled right on top like that! I have never seen anything like that ever. Batteries always have compartments, you can not just let them rub right on super sensitive circuits.   Anyway, even if they do have a compartment, the fact that they were allowed to rub on the actual motherboard for any amount of time is a no no.   Update: they are claiming all kickstarter's are done.   But people need to use the same email address to get registered. I changed my email like twice since 2012. It's been over half a decade since the thing was kickstarted, most people get new jobs, move, get a different internet provider with a different email.   Ok new update: your units are delayed, because too many of you moved. XD

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## Highlander

Yes you are right about the electrodes, plus I think if the Zeo is anything to go by then the electrodes need to be replaced periodically.

The nearest analogy is a radio receiver. If you have a piece of string as an antenna you will pick up a very weak signal + noise. If you amplify the signal then the noise also increases. You need the best (as in strongest/high quality) signal early on. Some may argue and say yes, that may be the case with an _analogue_ signal; but this is state of the art 'digital' stuff - algorthms and filters, AI, etc. all patented by the iWink gurus. Even so the first stage (the electrodes and the first op-amps in the chain are technically analogue devices). Therefore if you have poor quality electrodes, then guess what, noise is introduced. It is harder to get rid of it later on.

This 'noise' can include unwanted muscle artifacts, etc.

Also if you are in an indoor environment RFI can radiate from 50/60 Hz electrical wiring and other appliances, so the filtering has to be more than good. (I think the old (analogue) term is common mode rejection if I remember right?)

It will be interesting to see how this campaign draws to a conclusion. I hope for the backers' sakes that it does not end in tears. The legacy of the iwinks campaign will be the length of time to deliver as well as performance.

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## pointofbeing

So they left plenty of sensitive data on the "mass production" image, almost asking someone to find out what cheap ass chines knockoff batteries they used.  I could not resist.     So I searched the number's under the barcode and on top.   I found the company name.  They are from china, not surprising. What is surprising is the company it's self.    

Shenzhen City Kaixinda Energy Technology Co., Ltd.  They only sell in bulk.  And cheap. How cheap?   They have the  cheapest prices on even the Chinese market. They brought the cheapest batteries they could possibly find.   FOB Price: 	US $0.1     yes ten cent/piece    Iwinks absolutely spent more to ship these batteries, then the batteries themselves.  The rating on them is bad, and are only rated for 500 cycles.

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## Highlander

Max profit v reliability issues. The bathtub quality curve in practice. Not the first company to be doing it though, in fairness.
Those batteries are probably better suited to those cheap mp3 players from the late noughties rather than something apparently "state-of-the-art". Another addition to the i.o.t. throwaway society of things.

Anyway the latest update (No. 59) states that the Aurora production is "complete".  ::imslow::

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## ezzolucid

CALM DOWN EVERYONE!!!! :-)

I OWN an Aurora! and have used it multiple time in successfully induce DEILD's

Back in Summer 2016 I preordered a device but decided to contact the guys at iWinks to explain that I am very experienced in DEILD using alarms and that I could help them with their research and other area of inducing lucid dreaming using their device. I asked ( well, more or less begged lol ) for them to send me an 'early test unit' and they did indeed send me an Aurora and it DID work very well inducing many lucid dreams with it.The device allowed me to set it to flash lights every 3 minutes once it detected REM and it did this very accurately.

I have even made posts on Dreamviews last year progressing my experiences with the Aurora.

The REM detection was very accurate. The first night I used it I put it on as I went to bed and the lights flashed during my first REM period which showed the accuracy of the device. I used the Aurora for a few weeks and my lucid count skyrocketed. Before I was using an auto shutoff alarm and even Remee to induce DEILDS with some success but Aurora was and is a game changer!

Unfortunately the device broke where it plugs in to charge up, the clasp broke off where the lead goes in and I am awaiting another device. This was a problem with some units which they have now corrected.

I am in contact with Danny & Andrew ( iWinks team ) and the Aurora is very much real and being sent out now in the 100's. To say that it is not or that it is a scam is just plain silly - understandable but silly. My Aurora is currently downstairs in my kitchen cupboard, albeit broke at the moment but nevertheless very real indeed

As I have been a help in terms of research and DEILD experiments, the iWinks team will be sending me out a new device in the near future (hopefully within the week) and I WILL be doing a complete and thorough review including an 'unboxing' video. I already know the review will be very positive as I already have experience with it and know it works - great REM detection and a plethora of light flashing settings.

Its true that there have been many frustrating delays and problems but thats to be expected with a ground breaking product. My previous Aurora came in a plain box without instructions but thats because I was an early tester and I know they now have packaging and instruction in place. 

Trust me on this one guys. I too thought the same thoughts as you guys with delay after delay and the same semantics in each update but these fears were smashed when my device shipped across the pond to me in the UK. You can check my earlier posts on Aurora on Dreamviews and I have been a member for some time. Im not a plant.

Please feel free to ask me any questions on my previous experiences using my Aurora. i here to help

Ezzo

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## Highlander

> I am in contact with Danny & Andrew ( iWinks team ) and the Aurora is very much real and being sent out now in the 100's. To say that it is not or that it is a scam is just plain silly - understandable but silly. My Aurora is currently downstairs in my kitchen cupboard, albeit broke at the moment but nevertheless very real indeed



A 4 year delay, lies, lack of real communication... I could go on. People begin to fear the worst. After all crowdfunding and sleep campaigns do have their fair share of bullsh*t as you probably already know.

Add no _independent_ reviews on YouTube or in the public domain "whatsoever" then people start to wonder? I know I do?

I mean I never saw your "review" on your YouTube account for example. I know personally I'd have been buzzing after getting an exclusive; even if it had a boring plain box, nor any instructions.

It's not as if you had an NDA clause, as I did see your written reviews here on Dreamviews from October last year.





> As I have been a help in terms of research and DEILD experiments, the iWinks team will be sending me out a new device in the near future (hopefully within the week) and I WILL be doing a complete and thorough review including an 'unboxing' video.



No need to wait. A couple of photos of your current Aurora in-situ uploaded will help satisfy my curiosity and perhaps my doubts. After all each picture tells a thousand words.  :smiley:

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## pointofbeing

ezzolucid,  I  respect you, see that you have been a good member of dreamviews with good post's and discussion's. However I have doubts about your claims of how you came across a unit. This is in no way meant to be antagonizing, just me knowing how this kind of process works.  

1. Given how busy they have been with all the issues, I doubt they would give someone who only pre ordered in 2016 a unit (even if they said they were good at deild) .  

2. They already gave out the ea  to top donators, in fact they were short units and didn't get all of em out, they only now finished the rest of them. 

3. They, given they ran out would have to make a unit, just for you, who only just pre ordered  

4.Even if your as good at deild as you say you are, many of the top donators who already spent a lot more money than you, would be too.  Anyone spending as much money as the top kickstarter donators probably have some idea of what they preordered and techniques such as deild. In fact most of the people who ordered it are more than likely antiquated with it and that's why the wanted one.  They would have asked their top kickstarters if any were good at deild. Besides it's pointless to research anything, as it's not in a lab, or scientifically backable. Im also good at deild, but it's impossible to prove im good at it in a scientific way (or that a product helped me), and the idea of deild experiment's is flawed, as it would never hold up in any way that a scientific study would work. 

5. Deild is something, that anyone can claim to be an expert at (no way to prove or disprove what they say), I doubt they gave you one just because you said you good at deild, who did you say this to? how did you get involved with research? How does research work on something that while real to those who experience it is not scientifically backable?   

6. How did you get to talk to the CEO's, when it's a known fact it's been hard for kickstartes to contact? What phone number, email, did you use. I have talked to many people who kickstarted, who are frustrated because they can't contact anyone.   

Can you post some images of the 1st unit? I want to see how it compares to the more finalized one you are going to post to youtube. Were you able to save brainwave data? I also want to know how the batteries are housed? Is it on the circuitboard? Is it above?

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## ezzolucid

> ezzolucid,  I  respect you, see that you have been a good member of dreamviews with good post's and discussion's. However I have doubts about your claims of how you came across a unit. This is in no way meant to be antagonizing, just me knowing how this kind of process works.  
> 
> 1. Given how busy they have been with all the issues, I doubt they would give someone who only pre ordered in 2016 a unit (even if they said they were good at deild) .  
> 
> 2. They already gave out the ea  to top donators, in fact they were short units and didn't get all of em out, they only now finished the rest of them. 
> 
> 3. They, given they ran out would have to make a unit, just for you, who only just pre ordered  
> 
> 4.Even if your as good at deild as you say you are, many of the top donators who already spent a lot more money than you, would be too.  Anyone spending as much money as the top kickstarter donators probably have some idea of what they preordered and techniques such as deild. In fact most of the people who ordered it are more than likely antiquated with it and that's why the wanted one.  They would have asked their top kickstarters if any were good at deild. Besides it's pointless to research anything, as it's not in a lab, or scientifically backable. Im also good at deild, but it's impossible to prove im good at it in a scientific way (or that a product helped me), and the idea of deild experiment's is flawed, as it would never hold up in any way that a scientific study would work. 
> ...




Hi again. I didnt just ask for them an early unit. I really - like reeeaally used all my efforts of pursuation to convince them that a UK based lucid dreamer would benefit them. I know there is a process of kickstater campaigns but at the end of the day Danny and Andrew are 2 guys trying to make this thing happen and so they did indeed get a unit out to me. I then helped them with their instructional manual explaining ( in my oen experience ) the best way to use light cues to become lucid. I wasnt simply a bystander, I spent a great deal of time helping out ( and still do ).

So yes, it was unorthodox for me to get sent a unit but it was due to my offers of continuous help. I did have to sign a gagging order ( understandably ) and so I wasnt able to give a major review and I also wanted to get at least a months data / experience before posting anything significant. I can however say that the unit worked very well for DEILD, in fact Id go as far as to say it is the best DEILD alarm on earth.

Below is my unit, its in a sorry looking state as I tried to fix the charging clasp myself but couldnt do it. I dont know where the band has gone either. Guys I understand all the skepisism but this story is true. Im now experiencing the same frustration waiting for a new unit. 

To answer some questions, the unit collect data extremely effectively. There is an accompanying app called Borealis and you can view all your sleep stages including when the lights flashed and how many times, it really is very in-depth analytical data which I guess is very useful for sleep trackers

The battery is shown in the photo, it needs a daily charge
Geting to talk to the CEO's was easy. Remember this isnt some big corporation, this is 2 guys in their 'garage' I simply emailed them through their website and they were very receptive ( and friendly ).

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## Highlander

> I did have to sign a gagging order ( understandably ) and so I wasnt able to give a major review and I also wanted to get at least a months data / experience before posting anything significant.



Thanks for the clarification.





> Below is my unit, its in a sorry looking state as I tried to fix the charging clasp myself but couldnt do it. I dont know where the band has gone either. Guys I understand all the skepisism but this story is true. Im now experiencing the same frustration waiting for a new unit.







> The battery is shown in the photo, it needs a daily charge



I don't know what happened to your post between 10:44 am and your last edit at 10:48 am, as there is no photo of which you are referring to. Even my imagination cannot visualise to that level; and I'm an artist.  :smiley:

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## ezzolucid

I couldnt upload photos here for some reason so I posted them at the link below. I hope this helps :-)

I also didnt do an unboxing video because when I got my unit it was in a plain brown box and not the finished 'shiny box 'version.

http://www.clicksbo.com/aurora.htm

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## Highlander

Thanks for posting. It looks like you have had to desolder the two battery wires in order to get a good look inside the unit. It's a pity that the headband is missing though. Maybe if you have more of a rummage in that loft of yours then you might come across it perhaps.

You previously mentioned that the 'clasp' was broken, where you were unable to charge the device up. From what I can gather the Aurora uses a micro-usb connector at the front. It should be possible to replace one easily enough, it just depends on exactly what you mean as you have already tried to fix it.

Apart form that issue, how would you assess the build quality after taking it apart? Any thoughts, improvements or considerations?

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## ezzolucid

Hi Highlander, when i took the top part off, there were 2 thin wires that attached to the circuit board of which I had to disconnect. The micro USB port inside had come away and was rattling around. I tried to superglue it back on but just got myself into a real pickle, I also messed up reconnecting the 2 wires so I kinda gave up.

Im not really technically minded so I cant really help with assessing the build quality. When I contacted iwinks to tell them what had happened, they said that a few other users had reported the same problem. They told me that they have now corrected the problem and that this shouldn't happen in future units.

Also, just to add, iwinks are made up of 2 guys, Danny & Andrew, and earlier this year they hosted several live 'get togethers' with the public on Periscope where we got to ask questions and interact with them. They really are quite genuine and very passionate about Aurora and from the impression I got they are here to continually develop the Aurora through versions 2,3, 4 and so on and are here to stay.

There are improvements that I have suggested to them in the past, the main one being to add good quality sound / music so that users can upload a message / song that can be played during REM and bluetoothed via an earbud or something. The Aurora does play sounds during REM but they are very tinny and come from the motherboard. Im sure all these improvements will be added at a later date

The whole unit feels very light and very comfortable to wear, you can even lie on your side and it wont slip off so getting to sleep with one was no problem for me, unlike the remee mask.

Also, a bit off topic, because the lights were waking my wife up as well, I bought a thin sleep mask and sowed it onto the Aurora's band so that the unit was inside of the sleep mask and this worked very well, the lights woke me but not the wife.

I hope this helps :-) Please feel free to ask anything 

Ezzo

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## Highlander

> Hi Highlander, when i took the top part off, there were 2 thin wires that attached to the circuit board of which I had to disconnect. The micro USB port inside had come away and was rattling around. I tried to superglue it back on but just got myself into a real pickle, I also messed up reconnecting the 2 wires so I kinda gave up.



The battery wires should solder on fine. You will not need a schematic. It will either be marked on the pcb, but in failing that there are plenty of photos of their pcb on Kickstarter too.

Yes, that makes more sense to me now. Providing the pins are not damaged and the pads are not lifted or missing then the micro-usb should be easy to solder back on. There will probably be a couple of earthing lugs either side to solder on also which help and keep the connector in place on the pcb itself. Superglue will not suffice I'm afraid.

That is what failed - the solder/soldering quality was poor. It is a major worry if it had been surface mounted at the same time by the smt machine as the other semiconductor components may have the same weakness or fault? Not enough paste, heat or time perhaps? However in some cases the bigger connectors tend to hand soldered on. Either way the operator/technician, QC or a first off inspection should have picked it up.

One of my old jobs used to be in QC and rework. This involved the removal/reflow and the fitting of i/o connectors on small pcb boards similar to those. If you ripped the pads off then you had to scrap the board off mostly. I had to solder all the pins on them and not have any bridging. It was hard on your eyes. We had to do the memory flash chips and the bigger IC components in the same way using a tiny ball of solder on the tip, along with tons of flux. The bad bga chips could be removed using a heatgun, but they had to go back through a special reflow machine with the correct heat profile set up.

In them days we still used lead based solder, although it was being phased out. I did hear the lead free solder joint had a tendency to be more brittle compared to its lead counterpart. This may have changed since though.

If you know anybody local like an electronics hobbyist, a school or a radio amateur then they might be able to help with your board. If you get really stuck then give us a PM.

Regarding Iwinks: I don't know a great deal about them. There are more than two guys in a garage though. Maybe they will give me a job after reading my free fault appraisal. Ha, ha.  ::chuckle::

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## pointofbeing

> There are improvements that I have suggested to them in the past, the main one being to add good quality sound / music so that users can upload a message / song that can be played during REM and bluetoothed via an earbud or something. 
> Ezzo



Sorry I doubted you had one, like I said it was only doubts based on how this kickstarter had been.   As someone good at deild, you should continue pushing them to have features like the one you suggested above.  The original concept, only had flashing alerts you during a dream, which is much harder. You should suggest to them using a cellphones vibration as a deild alarm as well.

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## Highlander

Yeah apologies for my initial scepticism too Ezzolucid and if I came across as being a bit sarcastic in my early posts. It was nothing personal, although I'm still not sold on the people behind iWinks. I personally find them a bit arrogant and complacent for my liking, plus they could have handled the PR much, much better. Although hindsight is a wonderful thing I guess.

It is good that you have a good communication relationship with them though.

If it is any consolation I'm actually rubbish at DEILD. I can count the number of DEILD's on one finger, so I'm no expert. Yet I've had well over +200 DILDs. Even so the Aurora is aimed towards DILD rather than DEILD; providing you have enough awareness in the first place for a DILD "breakthrough" event via the LEDs and/or sound cues.

P.S. Thanks SpellBee2 for merging my posts. I did try to delete but I was unable to. Another site glitch I'm afraid.

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## ezzolucid

Hi all

For me, I see the Aurora best used for DEILD as Ive never seen the lights flash in a dream before. I simply set the unit to flash the lights for 5 seconds to wake me me and then ( if I remember to keep still ) I can DEILD quite easily. I found MR;s book The Phase invaluable in training me for this.
As for my broken unit, the guys have said they are sending me another uniti in the next wave. That was a month ago and so I guess I will be waiting a while, maybe I will try again to fix my old unit

Once I get my new unit, ill make a post with some photos etc

:-)

Ezzo

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## FryingMan

Well I'm not really mollified by this -- the one guy we all know who had one, and it broke (and some months back, as I recall, and still hasn't received the replacement).   It may have the best REM detection algorithm on the planet, but if the batteries can't cycle more than 500 times or the USB adapter breaks off, it's a brick.

I hope it works and is solid/stable.   The wait certainly has been long enough.

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## ezzolucid

Hi, I have my NEW unit!  :smiley: 

I have been using it since saturday night and it does its job well of flashing lights during REM. 3 times the lights have woken up and I have remained still and entered into a lucid dream via DEILD technique, so it does do what its supposed to do.

Last night the lights flashed and they woke me, i kept still and my whole body vibrated but I couldnt separate into an 'obe' and woke up.

I wore the device from 11pm till 8am and they lights flashed accurately during rem about 12 times but I was only awoken on 3 occasions, they did penetrate my dream ( the dream room lit up ) but I was not aware enough to act upon it.

It is a great device, theres nothing that tops it out there yet. Its true that the charger clasp is fragile and they put a note in with the device to explain this. This is why the last one broke.

The box / packaging looks real nice and its well presented

Ezzo :-)

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## Highlander

> I hope it works and is solid/stable.   The wait certainly has been long enough.



 It _has_ to work, period. Otherwise the initial relief of finally getting their unit (after 4+ years) would quickly turn to anger if it turns out to be broken or underperforms.






> Hi, I have my NEW unit!  Ezzo :-)



 Is it a newer EA unit? I thought iWinks were going to actually fix the clasp issue rather than give a warning.

Would you say the device is comfortable to wear? Do the electrodes move whatsoever?





> 3 times the lights have woken up and I have remained still and entered into a lucid dream via DEILD technique, _so it does do what its supposed to do_.



No, correction - iWinks have used slick, hyped marketing stratagies aimed at DILD. In other words you see the flashing lights in an actual dream (and hopefully you have enough awareness of the fact) whilst asleep, in REM.

It is not meant to wake you up.

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## ezzolucid

HI all, ill try to explain best I can :-)





> It _has_ to work, period. Otherwise the initial relief of finally getting their unit (after 4+ years) would quickly turn to anger if it turns out to be broken or underperforms.



It does perform and performs well. Each morning I am able to upload my previous nights data which shows how long I slept, all my sleep stages, when the device flashed (cued) and how many times it flashed in each REM period. Last night it flashed 3 times in each rem period for a total of 12 flashes. Of these 3 awoke me giving me a great opportunity to DEILD. Its a very good and clean interface show displays all of the information. The chart shows that the device 90% of the time cues when its supposed to so it quiet reliable.
As a DEILD alarm it really is the best device on Earth





> Is it a newer EA unit? I thought iWinks were going to actually fix the clasp issue rather than give a warning.



The unit is a newer one as it has been made since my last one broke albeit looks / acts the same. It came in a nice box / packaging unlike last time. It does seem that the USB clasp is still fragile but saying that, its only fragile if its treated rough. If you're careful then its fine





> Would you say the device is comfortable to wear? Do the electrodes move whatsoever?



Yes its very comfortable! Much more so than Remdreamer / Remmee etc. The fact its on the forehead makes a world of difference. THe electrodes stay in place and its not too tight. After a few minutes I dont even notice its there. You can lie on your side and back, it doesnt move about.





> iWinks have used slick, hyped marketing stratagies aimed at DILD. In other words you see the flashing lights in an actual dream (and hopefully you have enough awareness of the fact) whilst asleep, in REM.



This is true but this is the same way RemDreamer / Novadreamer and most all other lucid devices are marketed and theres good reason for this. It would be extremely difficult to market a device to a non lucid dreamer in the pretense that they would have to perform DEILD on being awoken by the lights, a newbie just would never understand this concept.
This is why the DILD lights in a dream route is much more friendly to a beginner ... and it can work. Lat night I was in a dream and the room in the dream kept lighting up brightly. Unfortunatley I didnt respond to the fact that it was the Aurora and remained non-lucid but it shows that dream infiltration can / does work

Hoever, for me, im ALL about DEILD and the Aurora is the perfect compliment for this - it really is. I just wish that the lights would wake me every time they go off instead of only about 20% of the time, this is maybe to do with how deeply im sleeping, i dont know.

Ive has 4 DEILDs since Saturday all instigated with the Aurora






> It is not meant to wake you up.



Depends on your goals, For me, as explaiined above, it 100% IS supposed to wake me up. I couldnt become lucid if it didnt wake me up.

Hope this helps
Ezzo

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## Highlander

> This is true but this is the same way RemDreamer / Novadreamer and most all other lucid devices are marketed and theres good reason for this. It would be extremely difficult to market a device to a non lucid dreamer in the pretense that they would have to perform DEILD on being awoken by the lights, a newbie just would never understand this concept.
> This is why the DILD lights in a dream route is much more friendly to a beginner ... and it can work. Lat night I was in a dream and the room in the dream kept lighting up brightly. Unfortunatley I didnt respond to the fact that it was the Aurora and remained non-lucid but it shows that dream infiltration can / does work



I totally agree, however a lot of these companies (including iWinks) are guilty of making it sound like a quick fix to VR-level lucidity. (Yes I'm looking at you too Luciding).

Sure the lights can end up in your dream in some form or other, _but_ the dreamer has to do the work by actually _realizing_ the fact. Even then for the DILD to progress, the dreamer must stay calm, stabilize the dream and hopefully continue without waking up suddenly. 





> Hoever, for me, im ALL about DEILD and the Aurora is the perfect compliment for this - it really is. I just wish that the lights would wake me every time *they go off instead of only about 20% of the time, this is maybe to do with how deeply im sleeping, i dont know.*



The answer to your question is in the data I would have thought. The iWinks AI ('patented') algorithms and data app should have recorded this information and display it in a user-friendly way for you to interpret at your leisure afterward, providing the engineers fixed the SD memory issues.

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## ezzolucid

> I totally agree, however a lot of these companies (including iWinks) are guilty of making it sound like a quick fix to VR-level lucidity. (Yes I'm looking at you too Luciding).
> 
> Sure the lights can end up in your dream in some form or other, _but_ the dreamer has to do the work by actually _realizing_ the fact. Even then for the DILD to progress, the dreamer must stay calm, stabilize the dream and hopefully continue without waking up suddenly. 
> 
> 
> 
> The answer to your question is in the data I would have thought. The iWinks AI ('patented') algorithms and data app should have recorded this information and display it in a user-friendly way for you to interpret at your leisure afterward, providing the engineers fixed the SD memory issues.



Hi, the data is fully captured. It will show for example that at 5am I went into REM. The lights flashed and then flashed again each 3 minutes until that rem period was over. The data graph pinpoints the exact time / moment that the lights flashed. From recollection in the morning however I realize that the lights only woke me once out of all the times they flashed.

Its true that a total newbie is never going to put on any device and become lucid (unless they DILD naturally due to high expectation) Thats why lucid dreaming is so niche.

The iWinks team need to market Aurora to the general public and so a 'lucid dreaming device' wont sell well. I believe that from a monetary view they will be marketing Aurora as a smart sleep tracker / smart alarm, and I suppose this is the smart thing to do in a commercial sense if they want to sell en mass.

Thats all irrelevant to me though as at the end of the day I love DEILD and Aurora is a great device to use for that.

Lucid dreaming is a niche - Lucid dreaming by way of DEILD is a niche within that niche and lucid dreaming by DEILD using an alarm is a niche within a niche within a niche - Theres not many of us about!  lol

I have been in touch with the iwinks team for 18 months and they really are very passionate about Aurora and developing it constantly. They give users access to full source codes for developers to input their own stance - a bit like Android. We already saw the makers of Remee create and 'run'. iWinks will develop Aurora 2 & 3 etc and Im sure that from this early device it will grow and will be the device that we all hope it will be.

My Aurora is now charged, its set to flash 8 times for half a second in rem and to repeat every 3 minutes. There is a vast array of light / sound settings to choose from. Im rambling a bit now. Also remember im in no way connected with iWinks, in fact they are 6000 miles away in the USA so everything I write is honest and from personal experience.

Hope this helps
Ezzo

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## Highlander

I totally agree about the niche status where companies would need to try to appeal to the overall market via the sleep/health/fitness route rather than direct lucid dreaming. It just turns my stomach over when I see all that 'VR' instant lucidity bullsh*t. 





> I have been in touch with the iwinks team for 18 months and they really are very passionate about Aurora and developing it constantly. They give users access to full source codes for developers to input their own stance - a bit like Android. We already saw the makers of Remee create and 'run'.



As I said previously, iWinks seem "full of themselves" for my liking. I have my reasons for my opinion too.






> iWinks will develop Aurora 2 & 3 etc and Im sure that from this early device it will grow and will be the device that we all hope it will be.



[MEME]=Sean Bean: "Winter Is Coming"[/MEME]

Wow! Can people really stomach all the BS whilst waiting another 8 to 12 years for the next generation Auroras? Nope. We are still expecting the second coming of the Novadreamer.

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## FryingMan

> Wow! Can people really stomach all the BS whilst waiting another 8 to 12 years for the next generation Auroras? Nope. We are still expecting the second coming of the Novadreamer.



After over a year of monthly "it's coming in two weeks" responses about N2D2, I've just given up.

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## pointofbeing

Hey, I know this thread died, but I have some opinions and concerns, I'd like to share.   

1. There are far too few unboxing videos, given the amount of units claimed sent, there are at least 1,200 preorders, and 25% of those were getting these supposed units, meaning 300 people should be giving reviews by now 

2.They claimed to give ndas, that would start in 2017 and end in 2018.  Yet at the end of 2018 when the ndas lifted no mass reviews or unboxings.

3.Right after a member of this site ezzolucid showed pictures of their unit a few YouTube unboxing and reviews went out immediately during my call out, during the apparent nda and have not been repeated by anyone else.   one year later I checked again in sep 2018 when nda's were gone and immediately smelled fish. 

4.I gave the benefit of doubt to ezzolucid last year, and still see him as having a decent interest in ld's and has a lot of good info. But that said his whole story of talking to these uncontactable people and claiming  they just gave him units because he's good at deild, no no I mean they all have consumer groups for that, they have people in the team who claim to be experts at deild, in fact one expert on deild on their team looks like the guy ezzolucid posted, so much so that...  

5.A reverse search on the picture posted by ezzolucid actually showed the same person as a member of the development team, in a group photo (now I can't outright prove this to anyone, and I'm making no claims that I'm 100% right, but I got interested in how suspicious this has been for years, and I occasionally like to see if any real progress is done, seems not much, nor am I saying ezzolucid didn't get a unit, just he had one because he was involved with the team ). That made me suspicious of the youtube reviews during an nda in which no such unboxings should technically exist. 

5. At least two of the very limited amount of reviews are people working on the unit.  Phase Evolution did an unboxing and revere searching him and TheRaRaRabbit both revealed their development members as well.   

Look am I wrong, can I prove those two you tubers are members, no!  I used freely and legally available machine learning reverse face searches that while not nearly 100% accurate in fact more like 50/50, in my opinion for it to reverse back the picture  ezzolucid posted of a man holding a unit, and the two you-tubers also linking back to members of the same team.  That's hard for me to ignore.   

6.These next two are the biggest one's for me.  2017 was not the 1st time they claimed  to have mass units for the backers.  Using the wayback machine I found this "We have received the next batch of 100 fully assembled Aurora Dreamband devices ready for the backers" this is a post they made in 2016 next batch my @**  They deleated that and claimed a year later the same thing. After all  this time  there are still only only the same four youtube reviews two years later, with at least two people in the reviews potentially being members of the team.  If they had 100 units in 2016, with an nda that ended in 2017 and another 200 in 2017, with an nda that ended in sep of 2018, where are the 100 reviews from the 100 2016 units? where are the two hundred reviews from the 2017 units? New nda?! or what?   

7.Thier new update states "ATTN: to all of our wonderful kickstarter backers still awaiting a preorder, please confirm your shipping address at the below link BY MAY 1st OR YOUR ORDER WILL BE FORFEITED."  Sorry but these people were scam artist. if you did not respond to thier obscure message your unit was already "FORFEITED." 

one user claimed "getting really angry right now. my device was send back by the customs because i was overseas during the time it arrived. I contacted aurora several times via ther website contact page.. never got an answer. i wrote a message in the comment-section... never got an answer.
what am i supposed to do? i guess i will inform kickstarter support. this behavior is outrageous."  It wasn't sent back to customs bro, cause it wasn't sent to you, they only send thing's big like tv's servers, or furniture back to customs.  It would be left on your porch. 

"after again completely forgetting about this project I just had a look into your iwinks account - and my order status apparently is "failed delivery" - and thats some 8 months ago."   

   So they claim last call for all kick starter units with no new reviews from all these people who apparently got units the nda is up and now they claim "IF WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN ADDRESS CONFIRMATION by MAY 1st, 2018, we will be forced to assume YOUR UNIT FORFEITED" on the kickstarter.  Think about that for a sec, think about all 1,200 units that are now "FORFEITED"  this is why there is no new reviews, because if you were not watching the kickstarter like a hawk, like 99% of the people who pre ordered this were told you openly forfeited your unit. There are 30 individuals who claimd to try to contact them under that post, and all have never been abile to contact them.   What shitty individuals. They knew no one was watching, and they did  what I said they would do.    If you pre ordered this thing, please be aware they forfeited 99% of the backers, and that's a forfeit without refund.  Pulling a forfeit is something done in business, it is not something you do to apparent customers.   The Backers of this need to actually be made aware of what happened, if you know anyone who was a backer of the nearly 1/2 million dollars, let them know after last May they were forfeited on without a clause to do so.  Just saying people's emails change is not a proper clause for a forfeit of goods.    The sad part is people will look at this and say what did you expect? Especially people looking at this from the internet with a little interest in lding.   Really, if someone could make this concept with proper placement on the MASTOID, it could work. I am not shocked that they pulled a forfeit on everyone, as I knew a long time ago this product was unworkable without the mastoid placement.

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## FryingMan

FYI -- I live outside the US.   Nothing is left on your doorstop, people in cities mostly live in apartments where I live.  The post office holds all parcels, sends a "parcel waiting" note to your mailbox at home, waits like 2-4 weeks, and then if you don't pick it up, really does do a "return to sender."

But yeah -- where are all the unboxing videos/reviews?   This is the thing that really bugs me, too.   I am soooooooooo glad I resisted the temptation to pre-order.   These guys just disappeared.  Maybe they had something, maybe not, but they turned out to be totally slimy.    There has not been even one decent producer.   We'll see how iband+ goes.   For now, as always (consumer hardware from scratch for a small team is *hard*), iband+ has delays, delays, delays.

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## pointofbeing

> FYI -- I live outside the US.   Nothing is left on your doorstop, people in cities mostly live in apartments where I live.  The post office holds all parcels, sends a "parcel waiting" note to your mailbox at home, waits like 2-4 weeks, and then if you don't pick it up, really does do a "return to sender.".



In America I live at an apartment and the boxes just pile up like crazy. We got one in the hallway right now that say's free, and states "I was too lazy to properly ship this" haha.

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## ezzolucid

Hi everyone, im very disappointed to hear the above comments - Im on noones team, I dont know the guys at iWinks either and I have no hidden motives. Everything Ive posted is true and to have my honesty bought into question is saddening. I saw a way in to get an early unit and took it, simple. I spent weeks giving the iwinks team advice on how best to DEILD using their device and they sent a unit to me. If you dont belive me then thats fine. Also the photos that I posted were taken by my on my desk.

I did post a few of my reviews here. I didnt do an unboxing video because I am a 46 year old man - not a teenager!

I stopped posting a while back because the Aurora started giving inacurate readings and the software update still hasnt arrived. I will try to answer some of the questions above. Please dont insinuate that im not being honest otherwise I wont post on here again. This might not seem like a loss but I have had 2 Auroras and a wealth of experience and experimentation...

1. There are far too few unboxing videos, given the amount of units claimed sent, there are at least 1,200 preorders, and 25% of those were getting these supposed units, meaning 300 people should be giving reviews by now 


Ive given several reviews and I dont do unboxing videos (or any videos) Im not a teenager

2.They claimed to give ndas, that would start in 2017 and end in 2018. Yet at the end of 2018 when the ndas lifted no mass reviews or unboxings.

I am no longer under an NDA and even if I was it would bother me seeing as Im in the UK and have no links to iWinks whatsoever. If you have questions then ask away

3.Right after a member of this site ezzolucid showed pictures of their unit a few YouTube unboxing and reviews went out immediately during my call out, during the apparent nda and have not been repeated by anyone else. one year later I checked again in sep 2018 when nda's were gone and immediately smelled fish. 

The picture I showed I took on my desk as someone wanted to know about the inner workings. It was a broken unit that I photos

4.I gave the benefit of doubt to ezzolucid last year, and still see him as having a decent interest in ld's and has a lot of good info. But that said his whole story of talking to these uncontactable people and claiming they just gave him units because he's good at deild, no no I mean they all have consumer groups for that, they have people in the team who claim to be experts at deild, in fact one expert on deild on their team looks like the guy ezzolucid posted, so much so that... 

OK, so for starter there are no experts on the DEILD iwinks team in my opinion. Most of their knowledge came from me, in fact there manual was crafted using my advice and guidance. Noone is 'uncontactable' if you know where to look! I had the knowledge these guys were missing and the timing was right - I got lucky. As for me looking like some other guy, im unsure what that means, there are no pictures of me on social media anywhere?

5.A reverse search on the picture posted by ezzolucid actually showed the same person as a member of the development team, in a group photo (now I can't outright prove this to anyone, and I'm making no claims that I'm 100% right, but I got interested in how suspicious this has been for years, and I occasionally like to see if any real progress is done, seems not much, nor am I saying ezzolucid didn't get a unit, just he had one because he was involved with the team ). That made me suspicious of the youtube reviews during an nda in which no such unboxings should technically exist. 

Im really unsure what you mean by all this? The only photo I ever took was the one I took on my desk? I highly doubt its anywhere else as it was of my broken unit as someone had requested. Once again - in NOT involved with the team. Ive never met them - I live 1000's of miles away

5. At least two of the very limited amount of reviews are people working on the unit. Phase Evolution did an unboxing and revere searching him and TheRaRaRabbit both revealed their development members as well. 

Yes I saw these unboxing videos

Look am I wrong, can I prove those two you tubers are members, no! I used freely and legally available machine learning reverse face searches that while not nearly 100% accurate in fact more like 50/50, in my opinion for it to reverse back the picture ezzolucid posted of a man holding a unit, and the two you-tubers also linking back to members of the same team. That's hard for me to ignore. 

I NEVER posted a picture of a man holding a unit!!!!!!!!! I have also NEVER posted a picture of myself online anywhere. I am a taxi driver in the UK, I have no interest in posting myself online - That picture you speak of categorically was NOT posted by me (ezzolucid)


6.These next two are the biggest one's for me. 2017 was not the 1st time they claimed to have mass units for the backers. Using the wayback machine I found this "We have received the next batch of 100 fully assembled Aurora Dreamband devices ready for the backers" this is a post they made in 2016 next batch my @** They deleated that and claimed a year later the same thing. After all this time there are still only only the same four youtube reviews two years later, with at least two people in the reviews potentially being members of the team. If they had 100 units in 2016, with an nda that ended in 2017 and another 200 in 2017, with an nda that ended in sep of 2018, where are the 100 reviews from the 100 2016 units? where are the two hundred reviews from the 2017 units? New nda?! or what? 

Yes its very frustrating the amount of time these guys take, it took 3 months to get my first unit and when that broke it took many months more to get another one. They are now sending a replacement headband - this is because i perform loads of experiments for them as AN INDEPENDENT lucid dream enthusiast

You said in your previous post that you gave me the benefit of the doubt - this was a correct choice, it seems that you are mistaken about the photo I sent. I happy to answer any questions

ALSO you will see from my previous posts that I critisize iWinks and the Aurora a lot. Would I do that if we were in a team?

I wont get dragged into any kind of argument. Im a respectable man and if you believe im being dishonest then please I will simply move over to another forum

Ezzo

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## pointofbeing

"I NEVER posted a picture of a man holding a unit!!!!!!!!! I have also NEVER posted a picture of myself online anywhere. I am a taxi driver in the UK, I have no interest in posting myself online - That picture you speak of categorically was NOT posted by me (ezzolucid)"

No, your right, The picture I was referring to, was from an unrelated person from an unboxing video. I got the pictures mixed up.   I strongly feel they used you. They used you, by giving a few people like you working units.   A lot of the images of "mass produced"  units are imho fabrication.   All they did for 1/2 million dollars is give you  and a few others a unit, which is probably using IAmCoder's freeware.  

What they did in may, was a way to make them not have to make the units for anyone who did not read that update, made a fake forfeit claim.  That is unbelievable they pulled that.   A lot of people could not contact them for the email verification, which is bs. I mean what is the forfeit for?   

I don't think Iwinks even knows what Forfeiture is, or how to make a legal claim to forfeit their product.  They legally need to make those units under kickstarters policy.

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## ezzolucid

All Aurora owners have access to a Slack forum, we all communicate and share ideas and iWinks (Danny and Andrew) are regularly there on live chat. Noone used me. I used initiative to get a unit from them and it was very effective for me. Each day several people join the Slack community that have got their device. Its true that the iwinks team are painfully slow and awful at responding to people, i feel they got in above their heads somewhat.

Maybe youre right about iwinks, I dont really care if they are 'real' or not. I got 2 units out of them and had many deilds by using the device. Its stopped working so well now and when I told them on slack they said they would send out another headband with new sensors to see if that solves the issue. I dont doubt that ill be waiting a while but im sure it will arrive just like they said.

Ive been given no reason to doubt iwinks or their intentions. All I want to do is help people to deild using alarm devices. Ive written many articles on here on how to deild using all manner of alarms from apple watches to headphones etc, the Aurora was the best of them all when it worked

I didnt come on here to have my honesty or integrity challenged. Im off to worldofluciddreaming.com bye all!

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