The Sensate 2 is a smart wearable that claims to aid relaxation. It does this via a combination of vibration, sound, and visual deprivation. This helps you to focus on just being, rather than doing, which ultimately allows you to clear your mind quickly, achieving relaxation. It may seem to cost a little more than you would expect to spend on a relaxation device but, having tested it, we can tell you that it worked for this reviewer… that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for everyone, though.
- Vibrating smart wearable
- Integrated app for smartphones and tablets
- Accessory kit
- Brand: BioSelf Technology
- Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.5 x 1 inch
- Weight: 2.7 ounces (79 grams)
- Connectivity: Micro-USB (charging only), Bluetooth
- Battery Life: 2-3 hours (depends on vibration intensity); 2 hours to fully recharge
- Well produced soundtracks
- Intuitive app
- Helps you to focus on relaxation
- Excellent three-in-one sensory package
- Smart vibration is excellent
- Battery lasts a week of use
- High initial financial outlay, especially for a beginner
- There could be more soundtracks
- Not guaranteed to work for everyone
Sensate 2
other
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Despite an active interest in audio therapy and alternative relaxation, I always err on the side of caution when a new product arrives on the market. I exercised this same level of caution when the Sensate 2 arrived for review; a smart wearable that claims to have relaxation benefits and, by proxy, ease anxiety.
But can it actually help with the act of just “being”? Is $249 too much to pay for such a simple device? Let’s take a look at what this vibrating power-pebble is all about.
What’s in the Box?
Here’s what you’ll see when you open the Sensate 2 box for the first time:
- Sensate 2 vibrating smart wearable
- Adjustable lanyard
- Cushioned Sensate slipcase
- Beanbag eye mask
- USB charging cable
- Guidance literature
There is also an associated Sensate app that works via your smartphone or tablet. The wearable won’t actually work without the app, so you need to ensure you have installed this.
Also, dig out a pair of noise-canceling headphones; the Kokoon Sleep Headphones would do the job here (or something like them) as they work for contemplative activities, too. You’ll need these for the soundtracks on the app.
What Is the Sensate 2 Vibrating Wearable Actually For?
If you are the kind of person who, like this writer, struggles to relax without help, then Sensate 2 could be the answer you’re looking for.
It is a smart wearable which, when placed upon the sternum (your chest bone), vibrates in time with music, provided by a dedicated Sensate app. This, according to its creators, will tone your vagus nerve and help you relax in, quote, “as little as ten minutes”.
We’ll cover the “science” behind it in more detail later but, despite it sounding like another fad product, the Sensate 2 actually works, albeit with a caveat or two. At least, it worked for this reviewer.
Form Factor and Feel
To look at, the Sensate 2 presents as a smooth, black, plastic pebble. It has a brushed feel to it, meaning it is pleasant to have it next to your skin when in use.
It doesn’t weigh very much at all, which is good as this ensures its 2.7 ounces (79 grams) won’t feel restrictive or overbearing as the device lies on your chest. Given that the chassis is plastic, it is the vibrating motor inside the Sensate that will contribute the most to the weight.
The front of the pebble has a small power button, surrounded by an illuminating ring that glows electric blue when you switch the Sensate on. The top of the device has a metal hoop for the provided lanyard to attach.
The bottom has the charging port with an LED indicator surround. Somewhat disappointingly, this is micro-USB and not USB-C, but that isn’t exactly the end of the world. It would just be nice to see all new products embracing the latest technology.
And that is it! A very simple piece of unfussy tech. So simple, in fact, that we could forgive you for wondering what your $249 is actually paying for.
However, if you look beyond the characteristics and internal machinations of the device itself, you’ll see that it is the package and the results you are paying for, and not just the lump of plastic and electronics sat on your chest. You can’t really put a price on proper relaxation.
How Does the Sensate 2 Work?
As mentioned, in simple terms, the Sensate 2 puts sound and vibration together to encourage the user to relax. The device isn’t as simple as it makes out, though, as there are several extra factors in play, here.
Vibration
We’ll deal with the physical aspect of the device, first. Obviously, it vibrates. These vibrations can range in intensity, thanks to the Sensate app.
You can toggle the strength of the vibrations in there, and the vibration will max out when it reaches the intensity limit you set. The Sensate will vary the intensity of its vibrations up to this limit, without your input.
During the session, the smart element of the Sensate device means it can vary the intensity of the vibrations, and the time it vibrates for, of its own accord. It will do so based on the soundtrack you are listening to, syncing its vibrations up with the music and sound effects.
Placing the Sensate on your chest bone causes it to send vibrations to your vagus nerve, which runs the entire length of your body, pretty much, passing through your right lung on its way.
The vagus nerve is a part of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which medical professionals refer to, colloquially, as the “rest and digest” nervous system. In fact, the vagus nerve is the “rest” part in that nomenclature. This part of our PNS is all about conserving energy, which the Sensate helps you do, through relaxation.
The vibrations travel from your sternum, where you have placed the Sensate, through your ribcage and into your lungs, where they resonate in much the same way that you can feel the bass from a festival speaker, internally.
This, in turn, stimulates the vagus nerve which then triggers your body to relax, promoting rest in this way. If you place the Sensate in the correct place, you will actually feel a sensation in your lung which, I assume, is the vagus nerve responding to the vibrations.
Sound
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for (var i = 0; i Sound also plays a big part in how Sensate works, as it unifies the vibration with the sound you hear via your headphones.
So, if you hear a deep, loud, bassy throb on the soundtrack, the Sensate replicates this with a long, drawn-out vibration at maximum intensity. Likewise, the pebble will interpret any top-end, treble chirrups as small, staccato vibrations.
Currently, because you have to use the Sensate app, you also have to use a soundtrack from the app library. There are 13 to choose from, and the app separates these into several categories; Nature, Space & Time, Sacred Spaces, and Breathe.
Each soundtrack uses a combination of relaxing sound effects, music, various forms of noise (i.e. white noise or pink noise), and binaural beats/isochronic tones, as a method of providing audio therapy.
We’ll take my favorite of the bunch and the soundtrack I used most during testing; Sound of Silence from the “Breathe” collection. I chose this one as concentrating on breathing helps me to empty my mind and relax.
Plus, Sound of Silence is 30 minutes long; I prefer a longer meditative experience than 10 minutes, as it can take me that long to just clear my thoughts. However, there are plenty of quicker ten-minute options if you want to just empty your mind and refocus.
As mentioned, this is from the “Breathe” selection. Placing the Sensate on my chest, I could see how the audio works in harmony with the vibration.
I can align my breathing with the long pulses of the bass in the music and the extended vibration from the Sensate.
This allows for roughly six breaths per minute (or one every ten seconds); a rate of respiration that experts across a range of disciplines, from medical science to yoga, argue is optimum for relaxation. You can read expert literature about slow breathing, and respiratory vagal stimulation, from a range of online scientific sources.
Anecdotally, six breaths per minute is also reportedly beneficial for cardiovascular health, as slow breathing means a slower, relaxed heart rate and it works to manage pain.
The Breathe soundtrack features a lot of white noise, which sounds like static. This helps to eliminate external sounds from your perception. There are also tonal drones known as isochronic tones and binaural beats. These often crop up in use during audio therapy as part of a meditative routine.
Binaural beats and isochronic tones, to explain briefly, work by manipulating your brainwaves to induce certain mental states. So, some believe that, when played at certain frequencies, these sound signals can help you focus or, as is probably the case with the Breathe collection of soundtracks, breathe more easily/optimally for relaxation, for example.
Sensate tells me it has specially tailored the soundtracks along with a sound therapy expert to ensure they work on several levels, as described above.
Visual Deprivation
Using the provided eye beanbag, you can block out all external light, meaning bright daylight won’t interrupt your relaxation session.
You can experiment with this element of the session a bit, too. Try warming your eye beanbag on a radiator for five minutes to give you relaxation a cozy feel. I like to feel anything cold on my eyes and eye area, so I go in the other direction and cool my eye beanbag in the refrigerator.
Does the Sensate 2 Make You Feel More Relaxed?
In a word, yes. In this reviewer’s own experience of the Sensate 2 device, combined with the app, it assists with relaxation.
I have tested the Sensate, daily, over a couple of weeks and I noticed the difference immediately. The first time I used the pebble, I observed that the time it took me to relax was significantly less, almost instant in fact, compared to when I had only previously used audio meditation.
The Sensate’s vibration also enhances the physical feeling of relaxation. This meaning that limbs feel looser, and places that you might struggle to disperse tension relax a lot quicker. This, presumably, is down to the stimulation of the vagus nerve and its effect on our rest response.
It is the entire package, ultimately, that ensures you can enter a completely relaxed state. The eye beanbag blocks out visual disruption, so you can relax at any time. The music follows suit, negating aural disruption, while at the same time offering additional cues such as the binaural beats mentioned earlier.
It is this combination of device and bespoke content that, on the face of it, you are paying for. If this is your only consideration, then the Sensate will certainly look too expensive for what it is.
Admittedly, that was this reviewer’s first thought; I couldn’t see myself paying $250 for the package in its current form. I also feel it needs more content within the app to provide more tangible value. There is more than one way of looking at that initial investment, though.
The Sensate 2 helps you relax. Yes, there are lots of devices that can also do this. But, in a world where we seem to put more value on the “doing” rather than the “being” of our human nature, the time and ability to relax are becoming rarer commodities. Should we really be putting a price on our wellbeing?
The short answer is no, we shouldn’t. I would advise you to try some less expensive variations on this theme first, before you go gung-ho and invest $250 on your relaxation whim. This kind of alternative self-therapy doesn’t work for everyone, so start small, preferably with something that is free, and see if it is for you.
My advice would be the same for any device purporting to aid relaxation or offer an alternative method of relaxing, though; that isn’t specific to the Sensate. If you are finding that less expensive methods prove beneficial, then you should really consider the Sensate 2 as an option; it is an excellent all-in-one relaxation package.
A Vibrating Chest Pebble CAN Help You Relax
So, it would seem that the Sensate does actually work, albeit with a fairly substantial, initial, financial outlay. That said, if you are desperately trying to find a way to relax, then this will be invaluable.
It certainly helped this reviewer to achieve relaxation goals, and I think my wallet’s wincing would subside quickly when I relaxed more as a result of the pebble and its ecosystem, had I paid for the Sensate 2 and not reviewed a loan device. It has value beyond the tangible product, is the message here.
As mentioned, we suggest you try a more pared-down solution to aid relaxation, especially if you have no experience with these sorts of alternative methods. That way, when you invest in the Sensate 2, you’re doing so with some prior knowledge of how it works and if it will be the right device for you.