If you were to ask a woman what she looks for in a quality bra, she would likely respond something to the effect of, comfort, support, durability and an aesthetic design.
Well, it appears that the Japanese company Ravijour is trying to add the ability to detect true love to that list. Yes, you read that correctly: Japan has created a bra that can supposedly detect
true love.
The True Love Tester, as it has been dubbed, has sensors wired into the cups that act as a pulse monitor and send feedback to a smartphone app via Bluetooth. The company has conducted a scientific study that measures particular heart rates in association with a variety of stress-inducing or exciting situations, such as jogging, eating spicy food, watching horror films and flirting.
They have also supposedly linked a particular heart rate sustained over a period of time to true love, according to Discovery News. When the app receives notice that this heart rate has been achieved, the clasp automatically unlocks and the cups spring open rather dramatically.
The bra was designed with the intent to protect women from unsavory men pursuing them for lustful purposes, like the animal depicted in the company’s trailer for the product, leading some less reputable news sources – like Buzzfeed – to claim that this bra is the modern equivalent of a chastity belt. However, original intent aside, one should take note that the bra will open as soon as the target heart rate is detected, regardless of what one is doing or where one is located at the time.
For example, a woman could be in the grocery store with her significant other and suddenly experience a rush of emotion, which leads to one’s bra flying off – quite literally according to the video – in front of everyone. Upon hearing about this innovative invention, USM freshman Brandon Yrle said, “I’d really enjoy sitting down to a nice seafood dinner at my favorite restaurant and watching random women’s bras popping open under their shirts in moments of true love.”
Aside from the obvious issues, there is a swirling cloud of skepticism surrounding the entire idea.
“The ad really did make it sound scientific, but I don’t think that there can be a certain heart rate that indicates true love,” said freshman Skye Travis. “That’s silly. Different people have different base heart rates, so how is the app supposed to account for these differences? How is it supposed to know that that particular spike is love and not another form of excitement?”
It should also be noted that nothing in the trailer or in any other information concerning the product mentions how one is supposed to get the bra off should an instance of true love not arise. From the information provided, it would seem that there is no way to free oneself from the contraption, unless one were to dance a magical jig and somehow maneuver it around one’s goods and over one’s head.
Despite all of the skepticism and sarcasm that surrounds this product, the idea is innovative. For the lovelorn or those stricken with terrible luck in the dating field, this bra may have some appeal. Whether or not it will sell well can only be determined with time.
