5 ms·

Now to wait 5-8 years for an FDA-approved medical device, which will cost $3000. I wonder if you could achieve the same effect with a vibrating massager? Stick

Now to wait 5-8 years for an FDA-approved medical device, which will cost $3000. I wonder if you could achieve the same effect with a vibrating massager? Sticking a repurposed cellphone vibrator motor in an elastic band, like the North Paw, also sounds like it would have potential. https://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/ https://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/

jplayer01 7y ago
I'm sure we'll get DIY guides if this turns out to be legit. The concept is simple enough.
- londons_explore 7y ago
  You watch those DIY guides be region blocked to "everywhere but the USA" because the fines for even publishing the design of an unapproved medical device are massive.
  - QuesnayJr 7y ago
    Are they? Doesn't that have first amendment protection?
    - floatingatoll 7y ago
      The US specialized in medical quackery for a hundred years, so there are direct restrictions on speech around claiming medical benefits. The free speech laws permit that, as IIRC societal welfare trumps your right to claim that (for example) mercury and cocaine soda will cure all ills. EDIT: Commenters are right, you have to try to profit to be prosecuted. If you give away poison and call it a cure, as long as you have no benefit whatsoever, you're technically safe. Yippee.
      - akersten 7y ago
        Just disclaim it with "this device/supplement/lifestyle has not been shown and is not intended to treat any medical ailment" like all the homeopathic crap out there does and you should be good to go.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
      - learc83 7y ago
        That's for commercial speech. You're free to tell people all kinds of things if you're not charging for it that you couldn't if you were.
      - nradov 7y ago
        It is perfectly legal to publicly claim that mercury and cocaine soda will cure all ills. You can post a video or shout it on a street corner or whatever. This is 1st Amendment protected free speech as affirmed case law. What isn't legal is selling a product and making false or unverified claims about medical benefits.
  - jplayer01 7y ago
    Just market it as DIY head sexual massage device?
    - LinuxBender 7y ago
      Agreed. And also add, "may have the unintended side effect of alleviating tinnitus symptoms. These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA. Wash device before applying to the skull."
hadlock 7y ago
Just releasing what frequency they're using would be extremely helpful. For sea sickness some companies offer a wrist band with a pea sized piece of plastic on them to (supposedly) stimulate a nerve in your wrist. I do not think that they require regulation. I can see a situation where these devices could be sold for sea sickness purposes with little to no regulation. Vibrating motors are a pretty easy device to get ahold of, phones and game controllers both have them; I don't see why you couldn't build one of these devices from a kit for under $25 + battery.
- toyg 7y ago
  > For sea sickness some companies offer a wrist band with a pea sized piece of plastic on them to (supposedly) stimulate a nerve in your wrist. They don't really work. Or rather, they never worked for me. > I can see a situation where these devices could be sold for sea sickness purposes with little to no regulation. I agree that they might not require much regulation, but I would appreciate some tests to ensure they are safe and establish some thresholds. Tinnitus sufferers in particular, would end up wearing this pretty much all day. Making your skull vibrate for 16 hours a day, even at low frequencies, sounds a bit dangerous.
- bsimpson 7y ago
  If they're trying to do (and recruit funding for) novel research on motion sickness, they might be reluctant to describe how to knock-off their own hardware before they have anything to sell.

jplayer01 7y ago

I'm sure we'll get DIY guides if this turns out to be legit. The concept is simple enough.

londons_explore 7y ago
You watch those DIY guides be region blocked to "everywhere but the USA" because the fines for even publishing the design of an unapproved medical device are massive.
- QuesnayJr 7y ago
  Are they? Doesn't that have first amendment protection?
  - floatingatoll 7y ago
    The US specialized in medical quackery for a hundred years, so there are direct restrictions on speech around claiming medical benefits. The free speech laws permit that, as IIRC societal welfare trumps your right to claim that (for example) mercury and cocaine soda will cure all ills. EDIT: Commenters are right, you have to try to profit to be prosecuted. If you give away poison and call it a cure, as long as you have no benefit whatsoever, you're technically safe. Yippee.
    - akersten 7y ago
      Just disclaim it with "this device/supplement/lifestyle has not been shown and is not intended to treat any medical ailment" like all the homeopathic crap out there does and you should be good to go.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - learc83 7y ago
      That's for commercial speech. You're free to tell people all kinds of things if you're not charging for it that you couldn't if you were.
    - nradov 7y ago
      It is perfectly legal to publicly claim that mercury and cocaine soda will cure all ills. You can post a video or shout it on a street corner or whatever. This is 1st Amendment protected free speech as affirmed case law. What isn't legal is selling a product and making false or unverified claims about medical benefits.
- jplayer01 7y ago
  Just market it as DIY head sexual massage device?
  - LinuxBender 7y ago
    Agreed. And also add, "may have the unintended side effect of alleviating tinnitus symptoms. These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA. Wash device before applying to the skull."

hadlock 7y ago

Just releasing what frequency they're using would be extremely helpful. For sea sickness some companies offer a wrist band with a pea sized piece of plastic on them to (supposedly) stimulate a nerve in your wrist. I do not think that they require regulation. I can see a situation where these devices could be sold for sea sickness purposes with little to no regulation. Vibrating motors are a pretty easy device to get ahold of, phones and game controllers both have them; I don't see why you couldn't build one of these devices from a kit for under $25 + battery.

toyg 7y ago
> For sea sickness some companies offer a wrist band with a pea sized piece of plastic on them to (supposedly) stimulate a nerve in your wrist. They don't really work. Or rather, they never worked for me. > I can see a situation where these devices could be sold for sea sickness purposes with little to no regulation. I agree that they might not require much regulation, but I would appreciate some tests to ensure they are safe and establish some thresholds. Tinnitus sufferers in particular, would end up wearing this pretty much all day. Making your skull vibrate for 16 hours a day, even at low frequencies, sounds a bit dangerous.
bsimpson 7y ago
If they're trying to do (and recruit funding for) novel research on motion sickness, they might be reluctant to describe how to knock-off their own hardware before they have anything to sell.