A new Samsung app claims to relieve motion sickness using sound

The functionality of the app is very clear. A low 100 Hz sine wave tone is played through a pair of connected headphones for 60 seconds. This is supposed to stimulate the vestibular system – the parts of the inner ear responsible for orientation and maintaining balance. The app allows the duration of the tone to be adjusted between 40 to 120 seconds, but a full minute of listening should provide relief from motion sickness symptoms like nausea for up to two hours. It can be repeated as needed.

Samsung says the app is inspired by Research conducted by Nagoya University in Japan It was released last year and found that specific sound wavelengths helped reduce “the startle and discomfort felt by people who were asked to read a document in a moving vehicle.” However, it’s not a foolproof cure, and its effectiveness may vary based on the headphones you use. Samsung recommends pairing the app with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but while Hearapy works with most headphones or earbuds, it needs to be able to reproduce the tone at a volume level of 80 to 85 decibels to be most effective.