Feeling stressed out or in need of a boost? Soon you may be able to turn to your smartphone for help. American tech company Thync this week released a smartphone-controlled headset which they claim can alter users' moods by stimulating nerve endings on the skin.
The Thync package, which costs $299 and is currently only available in the US, consists of a small, triangular shaped headset, five adhesive strips which stick it to the user's foreheads, and a downloadable iPhone app, which controls the headset via bluetooth radio (an Android app will be available later in the year).
Designers say the headset uses a process called "neurosignalling", which stimulates the skin on the forehead and neck using tiny pulses of electricity, arousing nerve endings which then supposedly activate a change in user's brain activity and overall mood, thus creating a state of calm or a boost of energy. The time this takes depends on the user's preference as they can choose the intensity of their session.