By generating small electric shocks

Apr 25, 2006 07:08 GMT  ·  By

Sea sickness (or generally speaking, motion sickness) is a problem affecting quite a lot of people, and could be described as a condition in which the endolymph (the fluid found in the semicircular canals of the inner ears) becomes 'stirred up', causing confusion between apparent perceived movement (none or very little), and actual movement. Quite a lot of remedies have been developed for this problem (some of them involving drugs, some not), and one which doesn't require taking some specific form of medication is the "watch" developed by Hammacher Schlemmer.

Quite obviously, the Relief Band is not a real watch, but a device that generates electric signals (actually, small shocks), which, once transmitted to the body (and implicitly, to the brain), "convince" the latter that all is steady. The name of "watch" derives from the fact that this gadget looks very much like the usual time-measuring device (and has similar dimensions: 1/2" H x 1 1/2" W x 2" L, with a weight of just 1 1/4 oz.), but all resemblances stop here.

Thus, the device for eliminating motion sickness has five relief level settings, namely 5 intensity levels for the electric shocks transmitted directly through the skin. This is the reason why the manufacturers recommend the use of a conductive gel in the contact area of the skin, in order to avoid burns. Moreover, the gadget can be used in any conditions and it doesn't interfere with medication, the only recommendation being not to be used with a cardiac pacemaker.

The device, available on http://www.hammacher.com/, costs 100 dollars, quite a reasonable price, considering its usefulness. Because, after all, who'd like to go on a cruise and suffer of nausea throughout the whole trip?

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