Gizmodo: Therapy

Spaniards Take the Movie Office Space Very Seriously

John Herrman — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:20:00 EDT

Destruction therapy has been around for a while now, but is only just starting to hit its stride. On June 21st, a large group of variously frustrated individuals converged on Castejon, Spain to launch the town fiestas with the coordinated destruction of an entire field of appliances and cars. Mainstream medicine has yet to recognize the efficacy of destruction therapy, but hey, I'm sure frontal lobotomies took a few years to catch on too. Gallery after the jump. [Reuters]

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Lets You Deactivate Selected Parts of Your Brain

Adrian Covert — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:40:00 EDT

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a process in which you run an electromagnet over parts of the brain, which essentially turns them off. You may have LOL'd at the idea of Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffalo erasing Jim Carrey's brain while dancing around in their underwear, but this brain altering technology is no joke. While effects don't appear to be permanent or long-standing, doctors and researchers think it could show how the brain recovers from traumas such as stroke. Though the technology might run a teensy-weensy risk of causing epilepsy, that's all. The video below shows grown men reciting nursery rhymes and turning into stuttering messes. [Daily Telegraph via Medgadget via io9]

Paro the $5000 Therapeutic Seal Now Available in America

Benny Goldman — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Paro, the Japanese robotic therapy seal is now available in the US. Paro is a medical device developed by folks who have built therapy robots for years, and they say this robo-companionship can relieve some of the symptoms associated with long-term illness and even Alzheimer's. Why a seal, and not a cat or dog? Because people don't have stereotypes about seals and wouldn't question how real it felt. We're all for a gadget that helps a sick person feel better, but we don't know if you should let your demented aunt Fanny spend too much time with a robot seal.

The cost? Five thousand dollars. To put that insane price in robot pet perspective, you could buy 16 Pleos or even 2 ½ AIBOs.

But it's only in limited quantities for now; that means if you aren't a hospital you can expect to wait a while before getting your hands on one. [Paro, Paro research]

Senslux SLD Desklamps Try to See Off Your Winter Blues, Acne

Kit Eaton — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:51:01 EDT

Senslux's new SLD range of desk lamps will light your stuff with LEDs for low power-consumption eco-friendliness, and come in three types. The SG-1500 model appears to be just a plain ol' desk lamp, but the SF is apparently a "full spectrum" lamp, presumably to give more natural light to combat the dim winter sun. The last, SA model, claims to be a light therapy for acne. Brilliant. Available in Korea for around $150, not sure if or when they'll make it over here. [Aving]

LTK-2000 Therapy Station Tries to Soothe Your Senses All At Once

Kit Eaton — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:01:27 EDT

Sure, there're plenty of gadgets to soothe your troubled soul with smells, lights and sounds— but why buy a bunch of these, when the LTK2000 does it all in one? Once the Therapy Station has calmed your ears with 24 relaxing sound options, a pop-up ring of bright LEDs tries to banish those SAD blues. Aromatherapy scents will waft around you from its built-in heater, while an anion generator cleans up the air. Strangely its designers missed tackling all five senses by omitting a massager and chocolate dispenser, but hey ho. Available for around $395 in Korea at first, we guess it'll be over here soon enough. [Technabob]

TheraSpa Sound Therapy Eyeshades: You Might Want to Sleep on It

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 24 May 2007 14:20:49 EDT

There isn't much to say about the TheraSpa Sound Therapy Eyeshades. Either you want a fruity-looking padded eyemask that hooks up to an MP3 player to lull you to sleep with the soothing sounds of death metal or you don't. Oh, it also comes with five pre-recorded sound programs, like Babbling Brook and Chirping Song Birds, but my guess is that they're nowhere near as relaxing as Dethklok.

That said, $40 for the mask strikes me as a bit high when you could just slap in some earbuds and a hold a pillow over your face for free. – Matt Buchanan

Product Page [Brookstone via Crave]

TwiLight Ultra Blue Light Sleep Therapy System Lights Your Way to Cloud Cuckoo Land

Charlie White — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:20:00 EDT

Maybe it doesn't really cost $2300 to get yourself a light that will jerk around your circadian rhythms. Now Verilux is rolling out its $89.95 TwiLight Ultra Blue Light Sleep Therapy System, which purports to do the same thing: improve your sleep patterns.

Hey, it must work—the company says it's based on research done by NASA, which plans to use this idea on the mission to Mars, if that ever happens. You set its timer for 30 minutes in the evening (it's not clear whether this means as you go to sleep or any time at night), and somehow it magically resets your internal clock. Turn the 12-inch-tall light on again in the morning and it also regulates the morning side of your circadian rhythm.

This all sounds well and good until you read the disclaimer:

"Verilux, Inc. does not make any medical claims. These units are designed as lifestyle enhancement systems. They are not medical devices. Please consult a qualified physician before using a blue light system."

Lifestyle enhancement? Phooey. If we were insomniacs, we'd be looking around for one of those Sleep On Demand machines. – Charlie White

Product Page [Verilux, via Popgadget]

BuzzTrainer - USB Shock Therapy

Travis Hudson — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 11:46:29 EST

Personally, when I think of discipline, I think of torture and pain. That's why I like this wrist strap that administers small shocks on specific commands. This product claims it can "improve your PC skill" through the administration of said pain. Apparently the BuzzTrainer software that is included is able to be bind to almost any type of PC command to administer shocks. One prime example would be looking at porn on the computer. Unfortunately, for porn fans, myself included, adding shocks into the mix may make it more enjoyable.

BuzzTrainer USB Shock Therapy Gadget [the adventures of teapot the cat]