There’s a new app on the Google Play Store, made by Samsung, that doesn’t want your attention. It wants your ears, instead, especially if you struggle with motion sickness. The South Korean outfit believes it can rid users of motion sickness temporarily by restoring balance through sound alone, using the free Hearapy app.
I hertz myself, today
It’s backed up by science, too. The folks at the University of Nagoya conducted a study, claiming that a 100Hz sine wave at 75-85dB for several minutes will restore a user’s balance and alleviate motion sickness. Ideally, anyway. Samsung claims that listening to the frequency for even a minute can reduce the effects for up to two hours.
“However, it only works if no music or other noises interfere with the sine wave. Furthermore, the frequency must be exactly 100 Hz, and both ears must be exposed to the sound for at least one minute before driving,” it said (translated from German to English).
Of course, Samsung would tell you that Hearapy works best with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but there’s nothing to stop you from booting up the app with another pair of ‘buds hooked up. Whether it’ll work as well as Samsung’s buds, though… This is what the company had to say on the subject:
“Thanks to a wide frequency range and intelligent noise cancellation, the latest generation headphones reproduce it clearly and powerfully.”
It seems the push comes from Samsung’s desire for self-preservation. Unless Samsung has specifically tuned the app to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro — it doesn’t even mention its other ‘buds for sale — there’s a good chance any pair will do. And if not, no harm done. The app is free and available on the Google Play Store here. You never know, it may just come in handy for your next road trip.
