US006238333B1

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 6,238,333 B1

L00s (45) Date of Patent: May 29, 2001

(54) REMOTE MAGNETIC MANIPULATION OF 4,727,857 * 3/1988 Horl ....................................... .. 600/9

NERVOUS SYSTEMS 5,667,469 * 9/1997 Zhang et al. . .
6,001,055 * 12/1999 Souder ................................... .. 600/9

(76) Inventor: Hendricus G. Loos, 3019 Cresta Way, OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Laguna Beach, CA (US) 92651
P. Lindemann, The Megabrain Report, vol. 1, #2, p. 34—35
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this (1990)
patent is eXIended or adjusted under 35 P. Limdemann, The Megabrain Report, vol. 1, #1, p. 30—31
U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. (1990).
* . .

(21) Appl. N0.: 09/371,289 ‘med by exammer

(22) Filed Aug 10 1999
. . ,
Primary Examiner—John P. Lacyk
(57) ABSTRACT
Related US. Application Data
Apparatus and method for remote manipulation of nervous
(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 08/486,918, ?led on systems by the magnetic dipole ?eld of a rotating bar
J11I1~ 7, 1995, HOW Pat- N0~ 5,935,054- magnet. Reliance on modulation of spontaneous spiking
(51) Int. Cl.7 ..................................................... .. A61N 2/00 Patterns of Sensory nerve receptors’ and exploitation of a
(52) U S C] 600/9 resonance mechanism of certain neural circuits, alloWs the
(58) Fi.el.d 0t.‘ ............................................... /9_15 use of Very Weak magnetic ?elds. This, together With the
........................................... .. large magnetic moments that can be Obtained With a Per_
(56) References Cited manent bar magnet, makes it possible to effectively manipu
late the nervous system of a subject over a distance of
Us. PATENT DOCUMENTS several hundred meters, using a small portable battery
poWered device. The method can be used in laW enforce
gef?ill‘slogd ............................ ment for Standoff Situations‘
4,537,181 * 8/1985 Shalhoob et al. . ..... .. 600/9
4,611,599 9/1986 Bentall ............................... .. 128/422 8 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets
U.S. Patent May 29, 2001 Sheet 1 of3 US 6,238,333 B1
U.S. Patent May 29, 2001 Sheet 2 of3 US 6,238,333 B1

CL COUNTER

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A; R75 UP DOWN

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DRIVER 65 DRRERW 76

F1 G . 4 Fl G . 5
U.S. Patent May 29, 2001 Sheet 3 of3 US 6,238,333 B1
 US 6,238,333 B1
1 2
REMOTE MAGNETIC MANIPULATION OF for pulsative magnetic stimulation, since electric ?elds are
NERVOUS SYSTEMS induced in the tissue by the changing magnetic ?eld. When
using the nerve modulation method, reliance on resonance
Continuation in Part of application Ser. No. 08/486,918, mechanisms further reduces the stimulation strength
Jun. 7, 1995, US. Pat. No. 5,935,054. required for manipulating the nervous system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY
The invention relates to stimulation of nerves by pulsed
magnetic ?elds. Such ?elds induce in the body of an exposed Oscillatory magnetic ?elds induce electric ?elds in
exposed biological tissue and can therefore act on nerves.
subject eddy currents that are proportional to their rate of 10
Considerable tissue electric ?elds are needed to cause ?ring
change. The currents may cause classical nerve stimulation
Wherein the nerve membrane is depolariZed enough for the of otherWise quiescent nerves, but very much smaller ?elds
nerve to ?re. At loW frequencies, such a mechanism requires
suf?ce for modulation of spontaneous nerve spiking. Still
Weaker ?elds can be used for exciting resonances in certain
rather large magnetic ?elds. Fortunately, loW-frequency
neural circuits through evoked signals from afferent soma
magnetic manipulation of the nervous system is possible by 15
another mechanism Which alloWs the use of very much tosensory nerves Which carry the modulated spiking patterns
to the brain.
Weaker ?elds. Instead of relying on causing the ?ring of
normally quiescent nerves, the method uses modulation of It has been found that, in this manner, Weak oscillatory
the spiking patterns of spontaneously ?ring nerves. That this magnetic ?elds With an amplitude betWeen 5 femtotesla and
can be done With very small tissue electic ?elds Was dis 20
50 nanotesla can be used for manipulating the human
cussed more than four decades ago by C. A. TerZuolo and T. nervous system, When the ?elds are tuned to certain fre
H. Bullock in “Measurement of Imposed Voltage Gradient quencies near 1/2 HZ that cause excitation of sensory reso
Adequate to Modulate Neuronal Firing”, Proceedings of the nances. Observable physiological consequences of the reso
National Academy of Sciences U.S.A., Physiology, 42, 687 nance include ptosis of the eyelids, relaxation, sleepiness,
(1956). The effect can be exploited in magnetic as Well as in 25 and sexual excitement, depending on the precise frequency
electric stimulation, because the physiological effects of the used, and on the location and duration of the magnetic ?eld
former are solely due to the electric ?eld that is induced by application.
the rate of change of the magnetic ?eld, and by the electric Both topical and systemic ?eld administration have been
polariZation that occurs as the consequence of the induced found effective. For the latter case the ?eld can be produced
eddy currents. 30 over a considerable distance by a rotating permanent magnet
The human nervous system exhibits a sensitivity to cer that has a large magnetic moment. This makes it possible to
tain loW-frequency stimuli, as is evident from rocking a baby manipulate a subject’s nervous system over a range of
or relaxing in a rocking chair. In both cases, the maximum several hundred meters, such as to cause relaxation and
soothing effect is obtained for a periodic motion With a droWsiness. The method can be used in laW enforcement for
frequency near 1/2 HZ. The effect is here called “the 1/2 HZ 35 standoff situations.
sensory resonance”. In the rocking response, the sensory Simple devices Which use a rotating bar magnet are
resonance is excited principally by frequency-coded signals disclosed. Multiple rotating bar magnets can be used, and
from the vestibular end organ. HoWever, the rocking motion the phase angles of the magnets may then be arranged to
also induces body strains, and these are detected by stretch cause constructive interference of the magnetic ?elds
receptors residing in the skin and elseWhere in the body. In 40 induced in the subject.
addition, relevant signals may originate from thermal recep
tors Which report skin temperature ?uctuations caused by air DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
currents that are induced by the rocking motion. All these
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment as a non-lethal Weapon
receptors employ frequency coding in their sensory to be used in laW enforcement, shoWing the dipole magnetic
function, and it must be that their signals are combined and 45
?eld projected upon a standoff site.
compared in the brain With the vestibular nerve signals in an
assessment of the somatic state. One may thus expect that FIG. 2 shoWs hoW the dipole ?eld of FIG. 1 has rotated
the sensory resonance can be excited not only through the in a a short time.
vestibular nerve, but also separately through the other sen FIG. 3 illustrates the rotating magnet method of project
sory modalities mentioned. This notion is supported by the 50 ing a time-varying dipole ?eld upon a remote subject.
observation that gently stroking of a child With a frequency FIG. 4 shoWs a drive circuit for the rotating magnet of
near 1/2 HZ has a soothing effect. Further support derives FIG. 3.
from the successful excitation of the 1/2 HZ sensory reso FIG. 5 shoWs the preferred embodiment Wherein the bar
nance by Weak external electric ?elds, as discussed in magnet rotation is caused by coils that induce magnetic
“Method and Apparatus for Manipulating Nervous 55 ?elds Which act directly on the bar magnet.
Systems”, US. Pat. No. 5,782,874. The 1/2 HZ sensory FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment for topical application of
resonance involves the autonomic nervous system, and it
an oscillating magnetic ?eld for the excitation of a sensory
can be used to induce relaxation, sleepiness, or sexual resonance.
excitement, depending on the precise stimulation frequency
and the affected afferent nerves. Another sensory resonance 60 FIG. 7 shoWs a multipole coil for the generation of a
has been found at about 2.4 HZ; it involves the cortex since localiZed magnetic ?eld for topical ?eld administration.
it can sloW the speed of silently counting from 100 to 60, FIG. 8 shoWs a near-sine Wave generator With automatic
With the eyes closed, as discussed in the ’874 patent and in shutoff, suitable for driving magnetic coils.
US. Pat. No. 5,800,481. For both electric ?eld and thermal
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
stimulation, prolonged exposure to ?uctuating electric ?elds 65
near 2.4 HZ has been found to have a sleep-inducing and It has been found in our laboratory that a Weak oscillatory
diZZying effect. The same physiological effect is expected magnetic ?eld can be used to excite the 1/2 HZ sensory
 US 6,238,333 B1
3 4
resonance. Sinusoidal magnetic ?elds have been observed to used in these experiments is 0.49 HZ. A virtue of the very
induce ptosis of the eyelids, relaxation, sleepiness, a “knot” Weak ?elds is that habituation to the stimulus is at a
in the stomach, a soft Warm feeling in the stomach, a tonic minimum, so that the treatment remains effective over many
smile, sudden loose stool, and sexual excitement, depending nights. Habituation is further minimiZed by using multipole
on the precise frequency used, the part of the body exposed, magnetic ?elds. Such ?elds are sharply localiZed, and they
and the strength and duration of the ?eld application. The have strongly nonuniform spatial distributions. As a result,
frequencies for these effects are all close to 1/2 HZ. The the evoked somatic signals received by the brain from the
physiological effects are experienced after the subject has various parts of the body are strongly nonuniform and
been exposed to the ?eld for an extended time, ranging from localiZed. Therefore, changes in sleep position cause a large
minutes to hours. Even for optimum frequency, the effects 10 variety of sensory patterns of limited duration. Another
have been observed only for Weak ?elds With amplitudes successful approach for controlling habituation is to limit the
roughly in the range from 5 femtotesla to 50 nanotesla. magnetic ?eld application to half an hour or so; larger ?eld
Use of square Waves for the time dependence of the strengths can then be used.
magnetic ?eld gives similar results, but there is a peculiar Experiments for inducing sexual excitement by sinusoidal
harsh feeling that is absent for sine Waves, attributed to the 15 magnetic ?elds have been performed using topical as Well as
strong higher harmonics in the square Wave. systemic ?eld application. Topical application of a sinusoi
The effects have been obtained With systemic ?eld appli dal multipole magnetic ?eld of order six to the loWer lumbar
cations as Well as With topical applications of a localiZed region, With maximum ?eld amplitude of about one
magnetic ?eld, either administered to the head or to body nanotesla, usually causes after about 13 minutes of exposure
20 an erection that can be maintained as long as an hour.
regions aWay from the head; successful excitation in the
latter case shoWs that the magnetic ?eld can act on soma Effective frequencies depend someWhat on physiological
tosensory nerves. conditions, but a typical frequency for obtaining this effect
Fixing all experiment parameters but the magnetic ?eld is 0.62 HZ.
amplitude, the described physiological effects are observed The experiments suggest a method and apparatus for
25
only for ?eld amplitudes in an interval, called “the effective manipulating nervous systems by ?uctuating magnetic
intensity WindoW”. This feature of sensory resonances may ?elds. The method has tWo fundamental features: use of
be understood as due to nuisance-guarding neural circuitry modulation of spontaneous spiking activity of certain types
Which blocks impertinent repetitive sensory signals from of somatosensory receptors, and the exploitation of sensory
higher processing. For the guarding circuitry to spring in resonances. Both these features alloW reduction of the
30
action, the amplitude of the nuisance signals needs to exceed magnetic ?eld amplitude, and in combination they make
a certain threshold. This explains the upper boundary of the possible small and compact battery-poWered devices that
effective intensity WindoW. The loWer boundary of the can be used by the public for induction of relaxation,
WindoW is simply due to the detection threshold for the sleepiness, or arousal, and clinically for the control and
sensory signals. perhaps the treatment of tremors and seiZures, and disorders
35
Systemic application of an approximately uniform rotat of the autonomic nervous system, such as panic attacks.
ing magnetic ?eld at a frequency of 0.55 HZ and an A sensory resonance has been found near 2.4 HZ, that can
amplitude of 2.3 nanotesla results in WooZiness after about be excited by Weak pulsed external electric ?elds, or by
tWo hours of exposure; sexual excitement sets in about one Weak heat pulses delivered to the skin, or by subliminal
hour later. The rotating magnetic ?eld for this experiment 40
acoustic pulses, as discussed respectively in US. Pat. Nos.
Was obtained by using a 33 rpm phonograph turntable Which 5,782,874 and 5,800,481, and US. patent application Ser.
carries tWo permanent magnets With a total magnetic No. 08/961,907. It is expected that this resonance can also
moment of 6.5 Am2; the distance to the subject Was 10.4 m. be excited magnetically. Other sensory resonances may
Allthough the use of the 33 rpm turntable is convenient, the perhaps be found, With frequencies beloW 45 HZ.
frequency is not quite optimum for excitation of the 1/2 HZ 45 An embodiment of the invention is shoWn in FIG. 6,
sensory resonance. This explains the long exposure times Where a voltage generator 1, labeled “GEN”, is connected
needed to obtain a physiological response, accounting for through a thin coaxial cable 2 to a coil assembly 3; the latter
the drift in resonance frequencies described in the ’874 is placed some distance beneath the subject 4 near the body
patent. Other experiments With systemic application of region selected for topical ?eld application. The frequency
magnetic ?elds, albeit With slightly greater nonuniformity, 50 of the voltage generator 1 can be manually adjusted With the
have given results that are similar to those obtained With tuning control 5, so that by manual scanning frequencies can
topical applications of sharply localiZed ?elds. The rotating be found at Which sensory resonances are excited. Upon
magnet device shoWn in FIGS. 3—5 is discussed later in the being energiZed by the generator 1, the coil assembly 3
context of laW enforcement in standoff situations, but it may induces a magnetic ?eld With ?eld lines 6, Which at large
be employed for therapeutic purposes as Well. The device 55 distances is a multipole ?eld. The coil 3 can be conveniently
can be used for collective treatment of a number of subjects placed under the mattress of a bed. The setup of FIG. 6 has
in a single building or in a complex of buildings. been employed in the insomnia therapy experiments and the
The physiological effects induced by the magnetic ?eld sexual arousal experiments discussed.
over an extended time often linger for as much as an hour Asimple near-sine-Wave generator suitable for driving the
after ending the application. This suggests that the endocrine 60 coil of FIG. 6 is shoWn in FIG. 8. The battery-poWered
system is affected, either directly or indirectly. generator is built around tWo RC timers 16 and 17, and an
Experiments With magnetic ?eld therapy for mild insom operational ampli?er 18. Timer 17 (Intersil ICM7555) is
nia have been conducted for over 200 nights, using a variety hooked up for astable operation; it produces a square Wave
of voltage generators and coils. Among the various Wave voltage With a frequency determined by potentiometer 19
forms, sine Waves have given the best results When used 65 and capacitor 20. The square Wave voltage at output 21
With very Weak ?elds, of the order of 10 femtotesla, applied drives the LED 22, and serves as the inverting input for the
to the loWer lumbar region of the body. A typical frequency ampli?er 18 (MAX480), after voltage division by potenti
 US 6,238,333 B1
5 6
ometer 23. The noninverting input of ampli?er 18 is con a rotating magnet device. The magnetic dipole ?eld ema
nected to an intermediate voltage produced by resistors 24 nating from the device is illustrated schematically by ?eld
and 25. Automatic shutoff of the voltage at point 26, that lines 54. The rotation of the permanent magnet causes the
poWers the timer and the ampli?er, is provided by a second magnetic ?eld to rotate, and FIG. 2 shoWs ?eld lines 54‘ a
timer 16 (Intersil ICM7555), hooked up for monostable short time later, after the magnet has made a quarter turn.
operation. The shutoff occurs after a time interval deter When the magnet rotation is tuned to the appropriate sensory
mined by resistor 27 and capacitor 28. Timer 16 is poWered resonance frequency, the oscillatory eddy currents induced
by a three-volt battery 29, controlled by a sWitch 30. The in the subject’s bodies may cause sleepiness, Which Would
ampli?er 18 is hooked up as an integrator; additional inte diminish the subject’s alertness and clarity of thought. It is
gration is performed by the capacitor 31 and resistor 32. The 10 noted that the physiological effects of the magnetic excita
resistor 33 limits the output current to the terminals 34 that tion of sensory resonances appears to be larger When 60 or
are connected to the coil assembly by the coaxial cable 2. 50 HZ poWer ?elds are absent, so that there may be merit in
For topical magnetic ?eld applications, such as illustrated turning off the electric poWer to the house, if this can be done
by FIG. 6, it is important to have a sharply localiZed safely and is not contraindicated by other considerations.
magnetic ?eld, either to avoid unWanted exposure of body 15 A suitable rotating magnet device may be designed along
regions aWay from the region of application, or to decrease the folloWing lines. The magnetic ?eld projected upon the
habituation, as discussed above. A planar coil assembly remote subject must have, at the large range involved, an
suitable for the induction of such sharply localiZed magnetic amplitude in the effective intensity WindoW. Since this ?eld
?eld is shoWn in FIG. 7. The assembly consists of four coils, is predominantly of dipole nature, and is therefore approxi
referred to as 7, 8, 9, and 10, With alternating Winding mately proportional to the magnetic moment of the magnet,
directions. The series assembly of coils is connected to the it is advantageous to maximiZe the magnetic moment Within
coaxial feed cable 2. The coils 7—10 are mounted on an the imposed constraints. The moment is the product of the
adhesive sheet 11 of insulating material, and the assembly is distance betWeen the magnetic poles and the strength of the
covered With adhesive tape. The coil diameters are propor poles, expressed as the emanating magnetic ?ux. Thus, other
tional to 1, \/ 2, \/3, and 2, and the number of Windings are 25 things remaining the same, the poles need to be as far aWay
respectively proportional to 4, —6, 4, and 1, Where positive from each other as possible. Clearly, a horse-shoe magnet
and negative numbers denote respectively clockWise and Will not do; rather, the optimum con?guration is a bar
counterclockwise Windings. For clarity the connecting Wires magnet. A second issue pertains to the orientation of the bar
betWeen coils are shoWn as running at some distance from magnet With respect to the rotation axis. This orientation is
each other, but these Wires should actually be laid very close expressed as the angle y betWeen the rotation axis and the bar
together, in order that their induced magnetic ?elds cancel magnet axis, de?ned as the line connecting the centers of the
each other as much as possible. With this understanding, the pole faces (this line is also the direction of the magnetic
coil assembly of FIG. 7 can be shoWn to induce at large moment vector). Since the eddy currents induced in the body
distances a magnetic ?eld that falls off as the ninth poWer of of the exposed subject are proportional to the rate of change
distance. 35 of the magnetic ?eld, the amplitude of the ?eld oscillation
Eddy currents are induced in tissue by time-varying needs to be maximiZed. This is done by choosing the angle
magnetic ?elds. Time dependence can of course be achieved y as ninety degrees. The next question is hoW to choose the
by rotating an otherWise steady magnetic ?eld. Since large angle [3 betWeen the rotation axis and the line that connects
steady ?elds can be obtained from a permanent magnet the magnet With the subject. To ansWer this question it must
Without spending energy, it is sensible to produce the be noted that the ?eld along the front direction of the
rotating ?eld by mechanically rotating a permanent magnet. magnet, i.e., along the magnet axis, is tWice as large as the
There are several patents, such as US. Pat. Nos. 4,727,857 ?eld along the side direction, i.e., ninety degrees aWay from
and 5,667,469, Wherein such an approach is used for topi the magnet axis. It folloWs that the angle [3 best be chosen
cally inducing therapeutic loW-frequency eddy currents by as ninety degrees, because the ?eld oscillation amplitude
means of equipment placed closely adjacent to the patient’s 45 then bene?ts from the strong ?eld along the front direction
skin. of the magnet.
As aluded to earlier, rotating magnetic ?elds can also be A rotating magnet device designed along the aformen
used for remote systemic magnetic manipulation of the tioned lines is illustrated in FIG. 3, Which shoWs a shaft 62
nervous system of a subject, “remote” meaning at a distance that is free to spin in a bearing 63, and is driven by a stepper
exceeding three meters. The dominant ?eld far aWay from a motor 78. The spinning motion may be continuous or may
magnet is a dipole ?eld, Which falls off as the third poWer of proceed in discrete steps. Mounted on the shaft is a bar
distance. The very small ?eld strengths that suf?ce for magnet 55 With pole faces 57 and 58, that have polarities
magnetic excitation of sensory resonances, together With the labelled “N” and “S”. The bar magnet has an axis 79 that
large magnetic moments that can be achieved With perma connects the centers of the pole faces. The angle y betWeen
nent magnets, make remote magnetic manipulation of ner 55 the magnet axis 79 and the axis 59 of the shaft 62 is
vous systems With small and compact devices a practical substantially ninety degrees. A subject 4‘ is located remote,
possiblity. For instance, for a device of 20 cm overall i.e., at least 3 meters, from the rotating magnet device. The
diameter the magnetic moment of a ?tting bar magnet can device is oriented such that the angle [3 betWeen the shaft
easily be as large as 52 Am2, and such a magnet is capable axis 59 and the geometric straight line 56 that connects the
of inducing a 0.39 pT magnetic ?eld at a distance of 300 m. shaft 62 With the subject 4‘ is substantially ninety degrees. To
By tuning the magnet rotation to a sensory resonance de?ne the line 56 precisely, it is speci?ed to go through
frequency near 1/2 HZ, such a ?eld amplitude is suf?cient to points A and B, Where point A is the position of the
cause droWsiness. The arrangement is thus suitable for a apparatus, taken as center of gravity of the shaft 62, and
non-lethal Weapon Which may be used, for instance, in laW point B is the location of the subject, taken as the center of
enforcement standoff situations. Such an application is illus 65 gravity of the body of the subject 4. The angles [3 and y are
trated in FIG. 1, Where subjects are holding out in a house not critical, and “substantially” may be read as “Within 20
52. ShoWn are squad cars 53, one of Which is equiped With degrees”. With the mentioned angle y, the pole faces of the
 US 6,238,333 B1
7 8
bar magnet Will be substantially parallel to the shaft axis. done, consider a Cartesian coordinate system (x,y) in the
Further shown are ?eld lines 54 of the magnetic ?eld ground plane, centered at the subject, such that the y-axis
induced by the bar magnet 55. As the latter is rotated by the coincides With the direction 6=0, With the the x-axis chosen
stepper motor 78, the nearly uniform magnetic ?eld induced such that rotation from the y-axis to the x-axis involves an
in the body of the subject 4‘ varies in time, so that eddy increasing angle 6. It can be easily shoWn that the magnetic
currents are induced in the electrically conductive body. ?eld induced at the subject by the nth device has the
One may use a composite bar magnet that consists of tWo Cartesian components
magnets separated by a ferromagnetic spacer, for the pur
pose of inexpensively increasing the magnetic moment.
Driving circuitry for the rotating magnet of FIG. 3 is 10
illustrated in FIG. 4, shoWing a clock 70 Which generates a
square Wave train of clock pulses 71 that are processed by Where Mn is the magnetic moment of the nth magnet, the
a counter 72 Which outputs a pulse 50 at every Nth clock permeability u should be taken as 431x10“7 henries/m, and t
pulse, the integer N being provided by the output of a denotes time. The resultant magnetic ?eld vector B is found
counter 73, and shoWn by the display 67. The integer N can 15 by calculating the sum Bx of the Bnx for all n, and the sum
be increased or decreased by push buttons 74 and 75, By of the Bny for all n; the vector B then has the components
respectively labelled “UP” and “DOWN”. The counter 73 Bx and By. As time proceeds, the end point of the vector B
together With the buttons 74 and 75 is therefore effectively circulates With the radian frequency 00 along an ellipse With
a tuner for controlling the frequency of the pulses 50. These long axis ZBmaX. The task at hand is to ?nd the phase angles
pulses are processed by the driver 77, connected to the otn that optimiZe Bmax. This problem can be solved numeri
stepper motor 78. cally With a grid of values an; since the maximum in Bmwc
The laW-enforcement personnel present at the standoff is rather broad, the grid can be chosen as coarse. Tables of
site Will of course also be subjected to the rotating magnetic solutions can be prepared once and for all for typical
?eld, and this constitutes a major draWback of the method. con?gurations involving a feW rotating magnet devices. In
The effective intensity WindoW may relieve this problem to 25 practice, device con?gurations must be chosen such that
some extent, since the personnel experience large ?elds that Bmwc lies in the effective intensity WindoW for the chosen
may lie outside the WindoW. Yet, frequent changes of per sensory resonance.
sonnel may be required in order to have an alert creW at all In the best mode no separate stepper motor is used, and
times. the necessary torque on the magnet is supplied by magnetic
Multiple devices may be used; all magnets then should ?elds induced by coils placed close to the magnet. This is
rotate With the same frequency, although interesting beat illustrated in FIG. 5, Where the bar magnet is composite,
effects arise When the individual frequencies are someWhat consisting of tWo permanent magnets 60 mounted on a
different. Use of multiple devices raises tWo neW issues. Let ferromagnetic spacer 61, Which is fastened to the shaft 62
all devices be located in the ground plane, i.e., a plane that can rotate freely in bearings 63. Coils 64 are mounted
through the local ground surface, or, in hilly or mountanous 35 such as to cause the magnet assembly to engage in a
terrain, tangent to the ground at the subject’s location. Let spinning motion, When pulsed currents are passed through
devices n=1, 2, . . . m be located at 6”, rn, Where (6,r) are the coils in properly phased manner. The currents are caused
polar coordinates in the ground plane, centered at the by a driver 65 connected to the coils by Wires 66. The period
subject. The angle 4),, betWeen the shaft axis of the nth device of rotation of the magnet assembly is determined by the
and the ground plane is pertinent and needs to be speci?ed. pulse frequency of the driver 76, and is shoWn by the display
For the setup depicted in FIGS. 1—3, the angle 4) is ninety 67; the period can be changed by operating the up and doWn
degrees. The second issue concerns phases. For the standard buttons 68 and 69. The driver may include a control unit 51
case With both [3 and y equal to ninety degrees, the phase otn Which can be programmed to provide a chosen schedule of
of bar magnet n may be taken as the angle, at a ?xed time, activity times and frequencies. The driver and the control
betWeen the magnet axis and the line that connects the 45 unit are standard circuits Well knoWn to those skilled in the
magnet With the subject; in FIG. 3 these lines are respec art.
tively shoWn as 79 and 56. It is advantageous to choose the For military applications the device of FIG. 5, properly
phase angles otn such that at the subject the magnetic ?elds designed for compactness and for Withstanding shock, can
induced by the individual rotating magnet devices interfere be air dropped or shot by mortar to locations near foes so that
constructively, since that results in a larger total ?eld oscil the latter can be subjected to magnetic manipulation. It is
lation amplitude. HoW to achieve this depends on the angles then suitable to arrange for radio control of the device. Since
an. One choice is to take all an Zero, so that the magnets the rather sloW rotation of a Well-balanced magnet assembly
rotate in planes that are perpendicular to the ground plane. can be maintained by small coil currents, battery poWer is
For m=2, the choice 61=0, 62=rc is advantageous, and should viable. A startup circuit needs to be provided to get the
be used With a phase difference (x2—ot1=rc. The ?elds at the 55 magnet rotation going.
subject then interfere constructively and result in a total Human sensitivity to very Weak magnetic ?elds at sensory
oscillatory ?eld amplitude that is the sum of the amplitudes resonance frequencies is not understood. US. Pat. No.
for the single devices. For three devices located at about 5,935,054 contains a discussion of several aspects of this
equally spaced angles 6” around the circle one can take problem. In addition, it is noted that cutaneous stretch
(x2—ot1=rc and (X3—(X1=J'IZ, and get considerable constructive receptors may be involved in the response to the Weak
interference, but for a larger number of devices placed at magnetic ?elds, because the polariZation charges that accu
about equally spaced angles 6” around the circle it is better mulate on surfaces of discontinuity of the electric conduc
to choose all 4),, equal to 31/2 so that the magnets rotate in tivity as a result of the eddy currents decay sloWest on the
planes that are parallel to the ground plane and the ?eld skin, if the subject is electrically isolated from the surround
along the side directions of the magnets can contribute to 65 ings. Thermal smearing of the polariZation charges in the
constructive interference. Finding the optimum values for epidermis over a layer With thickness of the order of the
the phases an requires some Work. To shoW hoW this may be Debye length then may cause an electric ?eld to act on
 US 6,238,333 B1
9 10
susceptable stretch receptors that lie close to the epidermis 5. The apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the rotation means
or protrude from the dermis into the epidermis. This electric comprise coils for inducing a magnetic ?eld that acts on the
?eld oscillates With the frequency of the applied magnetic bar magnet.
?eld and may perhaps cause frequency modulation of the 6. A method for manipulating the nervous system in the
spontaneous spiking of the stretch receptors. body of a remote subject, the subject having a location, the
The method is expected to be effective also on certain method comprising the steps of:
animals, and application to animal control is therefore
envisioned. The nervous system of mammals is similar to mounting a bar magnet on a shaft, the shaft having a
that of humans, so that sensory resonances are expected to center of gravity and an axis, the axis having a
exist. The disposition toWards the 1/2 HZ resonance is thought direction, the bar magnet having pole faces that are
to have its origin in the fetal state, developed through the substantially parallel With the shaft axis, the bar magnet
rythmical sensations caused by the mother’s Walk, associa inducing a nearly uniform magnetic ?eld in the body;
tively coupled With hormone concentrations. For mammals, de?ning a geometric straight line through the center of
one expects a resonance of this type at about the frequency gravity and the location of the subject;
of the mother’s relaxed Walk. Accordingly, in the present 15 adapting the shaft for said direction to make an angle of
invention, the subjects are mammals. substantially ninety degrees With the geometric straight
The invention is not limited by the embodiments shoWn in
the draWings and described in the speci?cation, Which are line;
given by Way of example and not of limitation, but only in spinning the shaft;
accordance With the scope of the appended claims. Whereby the nearly uniform magnetic ?eld changes in
I claim: time, and oscillatory eddy currents are induced in the
1. Apparatus for manipulating the nervous system in the body.
body of a remote subject, the subject having a location, and 7. The method of claim 6 for exciting in the remote
the apparatus having a position, a geometric straight line subject a sensory resonance having a resonance frequency,
being de?ned through the position of the apparatus and the 25 Wherein the spinning has a frequency, further including the
location of the subject, the apparatus comprising: step of setting the spinning frequency to the resonance
a shaft having an axis, the shaft being adapted to render frequency.
substantially a ninety degree angle betWeen the axis 8. The method of claim 6, Wherein the steps of mounting,
and the geometric straight line; de?ning, adapting and spinning are repeated N times, N
a bar magnet mounted on the shaft, the magnet having being a positive integer, resulting in bar magnets denoted by
pole faces that are substantially parallel to the shaft M(i), i=1 to N+1, each With its geometric straight line L(i),
axis, the bar magnet inducing in the body a nearly and Wherein all spinning is done at the same rate, further
uniform magnetic ?eld; and including the steps of:
rotation means for spinning the shaft, Whereby the nearly assigning, for each bar magnet M(i), a magnet axis A(i);
uniform magnetic ?eld changes in time, and oscillatory
de?ning, for each bar magnet M(i), a phase Which at a
eddy currents are induced in the body.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including control ?xed time is the angle of the magnet axis A(i) With the
means for controlling the rotation means. geometric straight line L(i); and
3. The apparatus of claim 2, Wherein the spinning has an arranging the phases of the bar magnets for constructive
angular speed, and the control means comprise means for interference of the nearly uniform magnetic ?elds
controlling the angular speed. induced in the body.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the bar magnet is
composite.