Electroshock therapy is traditionally a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electronically induced in patients to provide relief from illnesses such as schizophrenia, mania and catatonia. The procedure has never received the rosiest portrayal in the media, largely on account of its dubious success rate and torturous methodology, yet thanks to $13 million in venture capital funding, a new startup is in the process of creating a high street product that changes the way you think by zapping your brain with electricity.
Thync is a new electrode headset that sends electrical currents to targeted parts of your brain to alter your mood. Thync Vibes are targeted to specific neural pathways using advanced bio-materials engineered to achieve optimal results. The product claims to deliver the benefits of an energy drink or induced calmness using pulsating ultrasound, functioning at the intersection of neuroscience, consumer technology and wearable design.
The product has been created by scientists from Harvard, MIT, Stanford and ASU and tested on thousands of people with the aim to cash in on a $400 billion market of products that boost energy or induce relaxed states. In particular, Thync hopes to reach those with busy lifestyles, searching for a different approach to altering their mental state outside of chemicals, drugs or alcohol.