Regular relaxation and meditation are well established as the most effective ways to self-manage stress; however few people have the time or headspace to learn or practice this important skill.

Through his work at The New Medicine Group, the UK’s leading integrated healthcare clinic, in Harley Street, London, BioSelf Technology founder Stefan Chmelik identified that more people than ever suffer and die from stress-related issues. Many heart conditions, obesity, cancer, sleep problems and many mental and physical health issues like chronic pain are preventable if stress is properly managed. 

With a core team comprising Google Glass’s principal architect, Grant Allan PhD, Anna Gudmundson, former Vertu head of services and and tech turnaround CEO, and Cameron Ward, a Senior VP and global supply chain expert, BioSelf Technology’s mission is to educate people about tackling stress in a simple, yet effective manner. 

Sensate’s secret of success

Have you ever wondered why a purring cat on your chest is so calming? Sensate is the first product to use low-frequency infrasound to regulate the nervous system and tone the vagus nerve – the neural superhighway that connects the brain to the gut, passing through all major organs on its long pathway.

Sensate is a palm-sized, pebble-like device that can be used by anyone to improve mental wellbeing and build stress resilience with a 10-minute daily session. 

The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for calming the body after periods of stress and anxiety. Sensate can deactivate our 'fight, flight, freeze' emergency response when stress threatens to overwhelm us, bringing our body back into balance and the 'rest and digest' state.

Sensate sits on the chest and syncs with a free mobile app that plays from a library of meticulously composed sounds that synchronize with its infrasonic rhythmic pulses to promote immediate relaxation. 

The team behind Sensate

In December 2019 Stefan joined forces with tech CEO Gudmundson, who had advised the BioSelf Technology board for two years. Stefan immediately recognised how her technology and business expertise would boost his route to market and global growth.

With a background in business and technology consulting with international companies for over a decade, Anna has a proven track record growing businesses, identifying opportunities and creating new revenue streams. Previously, Gudmundson was parachuted in as CEO for a debt-ridden publicly listed fitness tracker business struggling in a saturated market, which she turned around against all odds and sold.

Prior to this, Gudmundson was head of services and service product management at Vertu, the British-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury handmade mobile phones. Gudmundson negotiated critical contracts between Android with Google and WindowsPhone with Microsoft, and managed a global budget covering services and applications across all platforms and regions..

Gudmundson commented: “Sensate is an incredibly powerful  device that focuses on improving sleep and improving underlying health conditions by activating the vagus nerve, using sound, rather than electric stimulation. It is also the first device to achieve this reliably, consistently and without training, using technology to recreate natural chest harmonics, without effort and in only a ten minute daily session.

“Ten minutes of deep relaxation is like a super-charged power nap as Sensate’s infrasound ‘massages’ the vagus nerve with precise musical vibrations that soothe and calm the user, from the very first session.”

What Sensate testers say

Sensate delivers health benefits more commonly associated with long-term meditation practices; specifically, improved heart rate variability, which is a key marker for health.

Users of the prototype 1,000 Sensate devices report:

• Feeling instantly relaxed
• Improved deep sleep (tracked with a sleep tracker)
• Lower resting heart rate and heart palpitations
• Improved blood pressure readings
• Better stress management
• Reduced anxiety and depression levels
• Feeling happier
• A profound calming effect 
• Improved focus

Stefan Chmelik, founder of BioSelf Technology and creator of Sensate, explained: “Stress and mental health issues are a 21st-century health crisis, with 300 million people globally suffering from depression and anxiety.

“Human beings have made their chest vibrate and resonate since the first hominids sat in a circle thumping their chests and howling at the moon. Through song, chant, mantra, prayer, oming, breath, meditation and music, we have found ways to stimulate feelings of wellbeing, harmony, and belonging.”