Hapbee - Choose How You Feel

[EEVblog]

Such a blatant scam.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hapbee-choose-how-you-feel#/

Check out who the investors are:
https://hapbee.com/team
They are also owners of the two companies they are "Featured By" 

[SiliconWizard]

Ahah, no kidding!

That sounds like bad news for the antidepressant market.

Seriously though, if such a simple gadget could actually modulate the mood of anyone, that could potentially be a very dangerous tool. It's obvious it can't work, but the idea itself (especially since it seems to be controllable through a phone app - how secure) is a complete non-sense from any safety POV. Talk about remote mind control!

[Haenk]

Put a speaker minus the cone under your pillow, turn up some fancy AC/DC (hah, got them there!) music, sleep happily ever after and feel relaxed. 

[TomS_]

They say they use patented technology, so the details of how this supposedly works should be publicly accessible somewhere?

[Cyberdragon]

They say they use patented technology, so the details of how this supposedly works should be publicly accessible somewhere?

(cartoon villain voice)

Yes, give me the blueprints for the ultimate mind control device! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA

What?! What do you mean it's fake?! How dare you foil my plans again!

 

[lwatts666]

It comes in two versions:

1) Full Commercial Version - Makes you feel angry that you paid hard earned money for this junk.

2) Freeware version - Makes you feel happy you didn't have to pay for this junk.

[Bud]

The actors looked like dorks with that thing around their neck.

[romelec]

They put this link in an update with the patent list: https://emulatetx.com/patents/

Also:

EMulate Therapeutics’ core technology is in clinical trials as a treatment for brain cancer with promising results.

The study in question: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6499013/

The results of both studies demonstrate a benign safety profile of the Voyager in a total of 28 patients treated by with one of two unique cognates (17 with A1A and 11 with A2HU). There were no serious adverse events and few adverse events attributed to the device; no adverse event led to discontinuation of Voyager.

Given the small size of the studies and the uncontrolled study design, conclusions cannot be drawn from the clinical utility data. However, the fact that 30–50% of patients were alive 12 months after starting Voyager therapy is encouraging. Clearly, larger controlled clinical trials of monotherapy and combination approaches with multiple cognates and systemically administered drugs will be needed to determine the full impact of Voyager therapy on overall survival for people afflicted with GBM.

[SiliconWizard]

(...)
Given the small size of the studies and the uncontrolled study design, conclusions cannot be drawn from the clinical utility data. However, the fact that 30–50% of patients were alive 12 months after starting Voyager therapy is encouraging.

Yeah, it sounds encouraging.

[Cyberdragon]

Why has this campaign not been closed yet?

Oh that's right, the people running crowd funding crap have less mental capacity than a damn ferret!

[chickenHeadKnob]

EEvblog citizens, what is your boggle? What this device will become was foreshadowed in the prophetic film Demolition Man. In this film the device enabled Sylvester Stallone to have remote sex with Sandra Bollocks.
I need this. I want this.   For research purpose only, and not with Sandra Bollocks though, as she is too old now.

[EEVblog]

A little birdie told me this is what's inside:

A Nordic nRF BLE module
A TI class-D audio amplifier. This drives the "output coil". It's not even wired up correctly -- there's a DC offset issue caused by not following recommendations in the datasheet.
A little tamper detect switch! Easily bypassed, though.
A TI BGA lighting controller for the LEDs.

This is what it does:
Plays back "songs" stored as... triple-encrypted WAV files.
Interferes with your (analog) headphones, if you wear it just right
Has a light!
Transfers money away from stupid people

It's complete woo-woo.
And it's design is based on a previous product that is supposed to fight cancer 
https://emulatetx.com/
Same company director for both Hapbee and this woo-woo.

[Cyberdragon]

These people need to be arrested at this point.

I left them a surprise in their contacts with hilarious fake info and a nasty message.

As someone who lost family to cancer, it's fucking disgusting when quack medical scammers claim "cures deadly diseases".

[SiliconWizard]

A TI class-D audio amplifier. This drives the "output coil". It's not even wired up correctly -- there's a DC offset issue caused by not following recommendations in the datasheet.

So this would be supposed to be some attempt at transcranial magnetic stimulation? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation

The Hapbee whatever doesn't possibly have any of the required characteristics for being able to leverage any of this. And obviously if it ever did, it would qualify as a medical device IMO, and that would be end of the story for Hapbee instantly. (I'm sure it is already anyway. )

[MrMobodies]

I don't think wearing a collar would make me happy regardless what they say it is suppose to do and this is with any type of collar.

They look strange to me wearing such a big collar as if they were dog without the leash and all of the suppose reviewers are the company.

I also noticed on the Genius Network page on Thunderf00ts video that Forbes is an affiliate and I see an article they wrote:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/09/30/the-top-10-entrepreneurs-whove-inspired-marketing-star-joe-polish/#87359b477603

The Top 10 Entrepreneurs Who've Inspired Marketing Star Joe Polish
Entrepreneurs
I write about small businesses doing innovative PR
This article is more than 2 years old.

I became aware of Joe Polish just this year after hearing his name come up from several of my entrepreneurial friends. Polish is a marketer and bestselling author who’s consulted many of the industry’s best: Sir Richard Branson, Body for Life’s Bill Phillips, Tim Ferriss and many more. He’s co-creator of the10Xtalk.com podcast and founder of Genius Network that brings together renowned executives (including Forbes’ own Steve Forbes) every year.

However, here's what interested me most as I interviewed Polish: He is the embodiment of authentic PR and marketing, which is my own biggest theme. In essence, Polish was “thought leadership” before the term had ever been coined.

“I was a troubled kid – struggled with drugs, and my efforts to get past those issues pushed me towards the path of personal development,” he said in our interview.


In his early 20s (circa 1990), he started a carpet cleaning business. Intuitively, he determined that sharing value-add information would be a better way to market his service than filling the airwaves with marketing hype. Well before the era of social media and online marketing he shared his messages through direct mail, recorded messages and email. He developed Education-Based Marketing tools he distributed in print, video and free recorded messages. His material included a Consumers Guide To Carpet Cleaning, with entries such as “How To Avoid Four Carpet Cleaning Rip-offs,” “8 Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing A Carpet Cleaner,” and “7 Questions To Ask A Carpet Cleaner Before You Invite Them Into Your Home.”

In short, he followed (maybe even pioneered) the Golden Rule of Content I’ve covered before: Great content provides information people need and are genuinely eager to hear. His business thrived. He quickly became the voice of marketing advice to other carpeting cleaners. So he developed marketing services for others. He opened advisory services to additional sectors. He launched podcasts. Conferences. Daily dial-in tips. From there he became a high-end consultant to many of the world’s best authorities in business (as well as at least a few of my entrepreneurial friends).

I thought that collar for what it does is marketing hype.

Their people in their video looked like they were genuinely eager to hear the "great content" that all they provided.

[mcovington]

Ahah, no kidding!

That sounds like bad news for the antidepressant market.

Seriously though, if such a simple gadget could actually modulate the mood of anyone, that could potentially be a very dangerous tool. It's obvious it can't work, but the idea itself (especially since it seems to be controllable through a phone app - how secure) is a complete non-sense from any safety POV. Talk about remote mind control!

BINGO!  If it works, there are safety concerns.  If it doesn't work, there are honesty concerns.

[mcovington]

A TI class-D audio amplifier. This drives the "output coil". It's not even wired up correctly -- there's a DC offset issue caused by not following recommendations in the datasheet.

So this would be supposed to be some attempt at transcranial magnetic stimulation? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation

The Hapbee whatever doesn't possibly have any of the required characteristics for being able to leverage any of this. And obviously if it ever did, it would qualify as a medical device IMO, and that would be end of the story for Hapbee instantly. (I'm sure it is already anyway. )

BIG POINT!  Have they made any attempt to get US regulatory approval for this as a medical device?  If not, their future career may be rather short!

[golden_labels]

But this device is backed by science. Look, the placebo effect is very well studied and science confirms its existence!

I also testify that Hapbee made me double-facepalm, which certainly is a change in mood. It did that despite the distance, and it was done by just emitting electromagnetic radiation (around 600THz), which induced electric current in various electronic components and then made photons being fired at my eyes, producing short changes in electric potential on my neurons.

And I am not a mouse! As far as I know.

[blacksheeplogic]

But this device is backed by science. Look, the placebo effect is very well studied and science confirms its existence!

Exactly, this will work for the believers.

Also, I am all for products like this that help idiots to stand-out in the crowd.

[EEVblog]

New video:

[cavac]

(...)
Given the small size of the studies and the uncontrolled study design, conclusions cannot be drawn from the clinical utility data. However, the fact that 30–50% of patients were alive 12 months after starting Voyager therapy is encouraging.

Yeah, it sounds encouraging.

EEVblog readers are clearly very capable of drawing conclusions from an intentionally dodgy study design. Our conclusions just might be a tad different than what the people paying for the study might have hoped for.

[Mark19960]

When I saw Thunderf00t post about this load of rubbish I had a chuckle.
I said to myself... didn't Doc Brown try something similar with a collander and some valves?

I have to wonder if that's where they got the idea.
I sort of liked Doc Brown's implementation better. He was trying to read minds.

Oh bloody hell... I might have just outed their next widget. A Bluetooth suction cup add-on.
 

[Beamin]

Just found this video on youtube and thuderfoots here is what they are ripping off. Magnetic fields do work:

I had TMS(Trans magnetic stimulation of your brain) a REAL medical treatment where they put magnets around your brain. It makes your fingers twitch and can give you buzzing in your head. It costs $10's of thousands of dollars needs to be over seen by a real MD doctor and nurse and requires 20-30 45min long treatments. If you have real depression or anxiety (And good insurance) try TMS* . Works for most people lasts a few months just like the hapbee!!!!!! This is what I'm guessing they ripped the idea off of. When researching TMS I saw all kinds of products just like this all costing 100's of dollars each, none of them work. Not even an original scam.

How people still fall for this when you can look everything up on google fascinates me.

Any updates on them going bust or being taken down/FTC complaints?

PS Canned foods are 22.4648Hz everybody knows that.