HumanCharger

Ever watch the battery life on your phone slowly increasing as you charge it and think wouldn’t it be nice if I could simply top up my own energy as easily? No? well, neither have I but, having your own personal charger you can plug into sounds like a pretty good idea.

That is exactly what the appropriately named HumanCharger is, this compact device works by channelling a bright light directly into the light-sensitive regions of the brain, via the ears. The HumanCharger aims to increase energy levels, improve mood, increase mental alertness, reduce the effects of jet lag and keep winter blues at bay.

Each session takes just 12 minutes, it is very easy to use, simply switch it on to automatically start the session, then pop the lights in the ears, these lights are built into earbuds, similar to that of a headphone which are comfortable enough for the 12 minute session. The light can then stimulate the photosensitive receptors of the brain using a calibrated white light that passes through the ear canals and ear structure. There are different recommendations on how to use the HumanCharger depending on the cause of your symptoms, for example shift workers should use the charger every two hours when feeling most tired, you can still work whilst using them as it will not affect your ability to perform your daily tasks.

One thing that stands out about the HumanCharger is how discrete it is, other portable light therapy equipment tends to focus on the eyes in a glasses or facemask design which can make you feel vulnerable or rather silly when worn in public, it can also make day to day activities more difficult, whereas people would assume you are just listening to music, no weird looks. Light therapy has mixed results in terms of its effectiveness, projecting the light into the ears is an interesting concept but at £175 it is a big price to pay, during our tests it was difficult to ascertain if there was any direct improvements, I felt calmer after each use but this could be from taking the time out to focus on myself for a few minutes, but as for energised I can’t say there were any obvious improvements, for now a 12 minute workout, quick walk about the block or strong coffee will still be my go to energy boosters. RRP £175.00
Click here for more info