A medicinal herbal blend and a virtual reality helmet are among the top five anti-stress inventions by Russian scientists, according to experts at Rospatent, the country’s intellectual property office. The list includes a VR helmet with a psychological rehabilitation programme, a device for monitoring cortisol levels, a technology that predicts an individual’s stress response, as well as a medicinal herbal mixture and effervescent bath tablets.
The VR helmet with a psychological rehabilitation programme was developed by researchers at the company Cyberli, Rospatent said. Once the user puts on the helmet, they launch a programme tailored to the diagnosis made by their psychotherapist and begin working through different stages.
A device that can precisely monitor levels of cortisol — the so-called stress hormone — was developed by researchers at the Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The device consists of a sensor with a special patch that collects various molecules and biological material, such as sweat, to determine cortisol levels in the blood.
Scientists at the Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology have developed a technology that can predict a person’s response to stress, Rospatent noted. The developers said the method could be used for the professional selection of military personnel and other government employees. A person is shown a series of videos illustrating different scenarios: a neutral situation, a conflict threatening honour and dignity, a conflict threatening physical safety, and a joyful situation. During the video presentation, psychophysiological indicators are recorded using electrocardiography and saliva analysis. Based on the data obtained, the type of stress response is then predicted, the specialists stressed.
In addition, researchers at Voronezh State University have patented a medicinal herbal blend for combating stress, made from blue skullcap, St. John’s wort, horse chestnut flowers and sorrel-leaved knotweed, Rospatent said. Meanwhile, specialists at Belgorod State National Research University have developed effervescent tablets that dissolve in bathwater and help restore ionic balance. The tablets contain magnesium citrate, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid, which penetrate cells and slow down excitation of the central nervous system.
