Thermal-illusion device
ThermoScratch®
Thermal-illusion device
Reset how you feel, without scratching your skin.Temperature-controlled warm and cool plates create a tactile illusion.
About 15 sec
Just press it on the spot. The stimulation stops automatically
Warm + cool
Warm (38-45°C) and cool (10-20°C) on the same spot
4 levels
Choose the intensity; two modes: warm-and-cool, and cool only
Concept
Changing awareness with an illusory pain stimulus
Once an itch starts, you can't stop thinking about it. Even when you know better, your attention goes to it. It is an everyday irritation.
We changed our approach to this problem from the ground up. We use the "illusion" mechanisms of the human brain and cognition.
At the moment you can't stop noticing the itch, a pleasant warm and cool stimulus creates an illusion that refreshes your attention to your skin. It is simple to use. Just press it on the spot that bothers you.
*Sensations vary from person to person. ThermoScratch is a general consumer product for refreshing everyday discomfort with warm and cool stimulation. It is not a medical device.
Technology
Experience the illusory stimulus with ease
ThermoScratch does not force a stimulus on the skin. It is designed around how the brain processes touch. It applies the "thermal grill illusion," known in neuroscience.
Human skin has receptors that detect warmth and cold separately. When both are stimulated at the same time, the sensory signals overlap. On the way to the brain, they are perceived as a stimulus different from simple warmth or cold.
Our own plate produces heat and cold at the same time within a limited area, with temperature controlled in a safe range. Held on the spot that bothers you for about 15 seconds, it creates a "firmly stimulated" sensation (a simulated scratch) without damaging the skin. Some people feel it as slightly tingling.
Two modes
Lamp: Orange
Warm-and-cool mode
Warm (38 to 45°C) and cool (10 to 20°C) are applied to the skin at the same time to prompt the thermal grill illusion (a new kind of simulated scratch).
Lamp: White
Cool mode
Only the cool plate becomes chilly, cooling the spot that bothers you precisely.
You can choose the intensity from 4 levels, 1 to 4.
Scene
Scenes of use
It fits in the palm of your hand. It is rechargeable, so you can take it outdoors. With its strap, you can attach it to your bag and carry it.
Just press it on the spot that bothers you 
Fits in the palm of your hand 
Carry it with its strap
How to use
How to use
Turn it on
Press and hold the lower button for 5 seconds.
Choose the mode and intensity
Choose as you like from the 2 modes and 4 intensity levels.
Standby
After choosing the mode, press the lower button once. The lamp blinks for about 2 seconds, then stays lit. It is now ready.
Press it on your skin
Hold the plate on the spot that bothers you. When you feel a firm stimulus, take it away. The stimulus normally lasts 15 seconds (30 seconds only at intensity 4) and then stops automatically.
Turn it off
After use, press and hold the lower button to turn the power off. For 15 seconds after use, the lamp blinks during the cooldown (it cannot be operated during that time).
Watch how to use it
Pressing play connects to YouTube (Google). Open on YouTube (external site)
Usage guide (PDF)
A two-page A4 leaflet that covers turning it on, choosing the mode and intensity, applying it to the skin, and putting it away. You can also print it and keep it at hand. The guide is in Japanese.
A4, 2 pages, about 1 MB (Japanese)
History
How it was developed
Former researchers and university faculty from five fields (heat, materials, electricity, perception and the unconscious) came together. Building on years of research on Peltier elements, they took thermal illusion from research to product.
December 2020
Osaka Heat Cool Inc. founded
As a startup of researchers who came together across university lines, we began work on research and productization of warm-and-cool tactile sensation.
June 2022
Presented a wearable warm-and-cold presentation device
At the Robotics and Mechatronics Conference 2022, we presented a wearable device that presents warm and cold sensations, using a matrix circuit to drive Peltier elements (Toshiya Emori, Shintaro Izumi, Kenzo Ibano, Yuichi Itoh, Katsunari Sato, Tohru Sugahara and Hiroshi Kawaguchi).
January 2023
Exhibited at CES 2023
We exhibited the technology behind the product at CES 2023, one of the world's largest technology shows, and drew attention from around the world.
December 2024
Presented at the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology
At the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology, we presented on the "approach using simultaneous warm and cool stimulation" that underlies the product.
September 2026
Kibidango project funded
Against a goal of 2 million yen, supporters pledged 11,072,300 yen (553.62% of the goal). The campaign closed on September 29. Delivery is planned for around October 2026, in the order of support.
Next
Expanding to businesses and specialist institutions
After the project ends, we plan to focus on sales to businesses and specialist institutions.
Recognition from overseas institutions
We passed the selection of Berkeley SkyDeck in the United States and MedTech Actuator in Australia, and receive their support.
Patent
We use our own patented technology (Japanese Patent No. 7113586).
Research
Reference research
ThermoScratch rests on neuroscience research on illusions, and on our team members' research on thermal presentation, thermoelectric devices and drive circuits. These are not papers about the product itself.
The original illusion paper
Thermal grill illusion
The Thermal Grill Illusion: Unmasking the Burn of Cold Pain (external site)
Summary
- The original paper on the "thermal grill illusion," in which touching the skin with something warm and something cold at the same time produces a painful, burning-like sensation (from the title).
Presenting warm and cold stimuli
Katsunari Sato
Presentation of Rapid Temperature Change Using Spatially Divided Hot and Cold Stimuli (external site)
Summary
- A study of a method that creates fast temperature changes by presenting warm and cold stimuli at separate locations (from the title).
Implementing Peltier (thermoelectric) devices
Tohru Sugahara and Kenzo Ibano
Fabrication with Semiconductor Packaging Technologies and Characterization of a Large-Scale Flexible Thermoelectric Module (external site)
Summary
- A study that used semiconductor packaging technology to make a large-area flexible thermoelectric module and examined its characteristics (from the title).
Fabrication and Characterization of Ultra-Lightweight, Compact, and Flexible Thermoelectric Device Based on Highly Refined Chip Mounting (external site)
Summary
- A study that used high-precision chip mounting to make an ultralight, compact, flexible thermoelectric device and examined its characteristics (from the title).
Drive circuits for Peltier elements
Shintaro Izumi et al.
Wearable thermal display device using a matrix circuit [in Japanese] (external site)
Summary
- Peltier elements draw large currents, and when several are integrated for thermal stimulation, the current reaches several amperes. The authors therefore proposed a method that uses time-division driving and a matrix circuit (from the conference abstract).
The Kibidango project page cites the paper by Craig and Bushnell to explain how the thermal grill illusion works. For the full text and details of each paper, please see the linked page (the publisher's or society's page).
Safety
Our approach to safety
We ran a "product safety test by a specialist institution" with people who have sensitive skin, to examine the product's safety and its effect on the skin (Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCT, registration number jRCTs032250350). In this test, no serious adverse events (such as serious skin problems) were reported from use of the device.
The aluminum alloy of the temperature-presenting part is anodized. This lowers the risk of metal allergy, but please stop using the device if you notice any abnormality on your skin. The effect on the skin varies from person to person.
Precautions
- This product is not a medical device. It is not a substitute for medical treatment.
- How the effect is felt varies from person to person.
- Do not use it on skin that is inflamed, cracked or sore.
- If you feel anything abnormal in the warm or cool sensation, stop using it immediately.
- Children must use it under the supervision of a guardian.
- If you are under a doctor's care, consult your doctor before use.
- It contains a lithium-ion battery. Do not disassemble it, throw it into a fire, or leave it in a hot environment.
Spec
Specifications
- Product name
- ThermoScratch®
- Model number
- TS2025
- Dimensions
- About 227 × 44 × 42 mm
- Weight
- About 320 g
- Power
- USB-C power (5 V / 0.5 A). Can be charged with a common USB-C cable
- Battery
- Lithium-ion, 1,500 mAh
- Temperature range
- 10°C to 45°C (automatically controlled by mode)
- Materials
- ABS resin, aluminum alloy (anodized)
- Country of origin
- Japan
- In the box
- Main unit, dedicated cap, strap, instruction manual, USB Type-C cable
Contact
Latest news and inquiries
The story of the project and a report from actual use are on the Kibidango project page and its activity reports.
Project page (Kibidango) (external site)We send the latest ThermoScratch news and usage FAQs through our official LINE account.
Add our official LINE account (external site)For adoption by businesses and specialist institutions, or questions about the product, please use the contact form.
Contact form