A look into how the Voice Shower affects the brain.
Interviewer & Japanese Writer: Yamamoto Takaya; Translation & Editing: Matthew Cherry
Tiger Lee’s Voice Shower, a showerhead with a built-in speaker letting one bathe in a voice much like a real shower, was selected for the 2020 INNO-vation Program’s Disruptive Challenge.
After being selected for the program, Tiger Lee decided his first order of action was to work on improving the hardware. The speaker inside the Voice Shower was upgraded to Bluetooth, as the prototype had been using a wired connection. In addition to the ease of use that a cordless system provided, it opened up the potential to use the device to bathe in a voice coming from a phone call.
The latest version of the Voice Shower
Upon trying the Voice Shower for the first time, many people reported that it had a calming effect. But what specifically did that mean? Verifying these claims turned out to be quite the important issue during Tiger Lee’s time in the INNO-vation Program.
Stating that he wanted a scientific analysis, Tiger Lee requested a deep analytical look from a university. Subjects in the experiment used the device while their brain waves were being recorded and measured. The experiment had a surprising result: when subjects bathed in the voices of their families, friends or loved ones, a healing effect was observed.
In order to further explore the effects that the Voice Shower had on people, Tiger Lee sought the assistance of a chiropractor specializing in seitai (整体) techniques. Seitai is an ancient form of therapy combining massages, chiropractic adjustment, and osteopathy. In this test, subjects would use the Voice Shower while the chiropractor performed his various techniques on them. The results here were surprising as well.
“Since this is more of a traditional medicine, there’s not really any scientific basis in it, but I remember the chiropractor said that performing a massage while the client was using the shower made the bones move a bit easier,” Tiger Lee recalled.
In addition to the aforementioned healing effect, many users reported being reminded of fond memories while using the device. When Tiger Lee mentioned this to a brain specialist, he replied “that’s well within the realm of possibility.”
“I don’t know the technical aspects of it, I think this means that our brains interpret voices differently since voices are picked up through our skin, not just our ears,” Tiger Lee explained.
Tiger Lee had received a lot of different opinions from specialists in a variety of fields. He mentioned that these conversations and discoveries were the best parts of the INNO-vation Program for him.
“Even if I had ventured on my own to try and receive this kind of support, I don’t think I would have been able to communicate effectively with the various research institutions. The executing agency of the INNO-vation Program helped me out every step of the way, from initial negotiations to the signing of contracts. Because of that, I was able to link up with all kinds of technical institutions and experts to analyze the effects of the Voice Shower. The support I received wasn’t just financial, and for that, I am truly grateful,” Tiger Lee shared.
In part 3, we’ll ask Tiger Lee about the Voice Shower’s future possibilities.
