Samsung Hearapy: Alleviating nausea with sound

Samsung has launched a new free app called Hearapy, available for Android devices via the Google Play Store. The company says the app can help reduce the symptoms of motion sickness, all through the use of sound.

The app is surprisingly simple to use. Hearapy plays a low sine wave tone at 100 Hz for 60 seconds through connected headphones. This sound is said to stimulate the parts of the inner ear responsible for balance and orientation. The user can adjust the playback duration between 40 and 120 seconds, but just one minute of listening is said to be enough to alleviate symptoms (such as nausea) for up to two hours. The process can be repeated as needed.

Samsung explains that the app is based on research from Nagoya University in Japan, published last year, which found that certain sound wavelengths reduced feelings of discomfort and unsteadiness in people who had to read while driving in a moving vehicle.

Despite the promising results, Hearapy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The effectiveness may vary depending on the headphones used. Samsung recommends using the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but the app works with most headphones or earbuds. The key is that the device can play a tone at a volume between 80 and 85 decibels, as this is the range in which the effect is said to be most pronounced.