Sensate 2
Sensate’s vibrating pebble lets people seeking meditation, escapism and a better night’s sleep hide under a rock
Aaaaaaaaaaaand relax…
We tried it too…
It buzzed all my cynicism away
There are two terms that are guaranteed to wind me right up: ‘mindfulness’ and ‘chillout music’. Which is hardly helpful in this context… but Sensate made fending off my inner cynic easier than I feared. The sounds are inoffensively relaxing, and the vibrations add to the sense of immersion in a way I wasn’t expecting. Richard Purvis
An odd sensation, but very relaxing
The only thing normally vibrating on my chest is the rumble of the PS4 controller after nodding off during a late-night THPS session. The Sensate vibrations were stronger than I was expecting, but they soon merged with the music and generally left me deeply relaxed. Just avoid the new-age chanty ones. Ross Presly £199 / stuff.tv/sensate
■ The Sensate 2 is a strange little Bluetooth vibrator (not that sort) that rests upon your chest to help lull you into moments of calm. It does this using near-infrasound bone conduction on your sternum, in tandem with a selection of musical soundscapes from its companion app.
■ Choose from 10, 20 or 30 minutes of mindfulness with sounds across ‘nature’, ‘space & time’, ‘sacred spaces’ and ‘breathe’. These work with the Sensate 2’s haptic core so moments of zen are felt as well as heard. Neil from The Young Ones would approve.
■ You can adjust the volume and intensity of the tuned vibrations, and play the sounds through your usual headphones (or a speaker), while a suitably stress-free setup process means there’s no need to register an account or subscribe to anything.
■ Sensate says the pebble uses a “proprietary audio mix of four trade-secret elements”, which sounds a bit like ‘special stuff’ from The League of Gentleman but equates to vagus nerve toning. In short, it helps the brain sustain wellness by calming your organs.
■ Judging mood, anxiety and stress levels during a pandemic is a tough one, but lying back in a darkened room while being semi-aggressively wobbled with the blower on ‘Do not disturb’ feels nice; and after repeating the mantra of “For God’s sake relax!”, quality of sleep did improve.
Tech specs
Connectivity Bluetooth, microusb charging Compatibility Android, IOS Battery life Up to 7 days