Science: Health: Massage
self-tickling machine   (+18, -1)  [vote for, against]
a tickle a day keeps the blues away – everyone knows laughter is the best medicine but it has been long understood that it is impossible to tickle yourself under normal circumstances. this machine endeavours to overcome those obstacles. in the words of the wise Aristotle (who pondered this question for many years) “well, I’ll go to the foot of our stairs”

part of the cerebellum in the brain is responsible for blocking the response to a self-tickle; in other words if you know its going to happen and that you have total control over the tickling, it just does not invoke the giggling or laughing response of being tickled by another. children do not even have to be physically touched – their mother or father just needs to approach them with wiggling fingers and say “going to tickle you” – to evoke a healthy response.

this machine is attached to your chair (office, home, car – perhaps not!) and it will be cranked manually by yourself when you sit down, in the manner of one of those wind-up radios. however, it is computer programmed to set in motion the tickling process at a random time, in a random manner and a random level of pressure. the life like leather covered hands have fingers that move in, dare I say, a spidery kind of movement and are accompanied by a manic voice which can be programmed to say whatever takes your fancy “ it’s the feet, next”. the anticipation of not knowing when the tickling will commence will heighten the sense of excitement and when the great hulking creakin’ machine is set in motion by the computer, it can be ceased at any time by depressing the red button marked STOP if you can reach it that is.
-- po, Jun 04 2002

Jedi Knight http://www.halfbake.../www.Wookie@aol.com
Green lightsaber [wookie, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Tickling machine http://www.xs4all.n...eview_Anderson.html
Trust the Dutch... [Basepair, Mar 18 2005]

Tickle me pink in the board meeting.
-- FarmerJohn, Jun 04 2002


When I get tickled, my usual responses include horse-like giggling accompanied by guttoral snorts, flatulence, dangerously uncontrollable limb flailing, and urination. I'm not sure I want to do that at work.

If I were your office-mate, would you want me to have one of these?


-- quarterbaker, Jun 04 2002


as long as you are suitably dressed - of course.
-- po, Jun 04 2002


If you removed or blocked the part of the cerebellum that prevents self-ticklability, would you fall into paroxisms every time you touched yourself?
-- beauxeault, Jun 04 2002


who?
-- po, Jun 05 2002


Um, that's a summary?
-- bookworm, Jun 06 2002


// in the words of the wise Aristotle (who pondered this question for many years) “well, I’ll go to the foot of our stairs” //

po, you are delightfully bizarre.

(I used to know a Peter Large. Lovely phone book entry, that.)
-- waugsqueke, Jun 06 2002


Brilliant! I think you should get rid of the STOP button though as the sense of being at the mercy of the tickler is one of the factors that makes me ticklish.
-- stupop, Jun 06 2002


wonderful idea, what a wicked, funny and menacing chair it would be. Just dont let your boss use the chair at work in case the chair decided to tickle the user at that specific point in time. Imagine explaining that " er, sorry, its just my tickling chair, you see when im depressed or down, it is programmed to tickle me at random moments..."
-- peppina, May 31 2003


I love it! put it down the basement at home so no one can hear you scream with laughter!!!! How do I order?
-- Wilsey, Feb 12 2004


This may be just what I have been searching for. How much is it?
-- wookie, Jun 08 2004


[Wookie] You don't have HalfBakery stores where you live?
-- Klaatu, Jun 08 2004


i love it! gimme one
-- paperclip987, Jun 17 2004


What if it goes crazy and you can't make it stop? :P
-- NeoPiter, Jun 18 2004


Wonderful concept [+] Would the tickling mechanism be in a fixed spot? Or would there be multiple? What if I wanted to be tickled on my feet or tummy, chosen randomly?
-- evilmathgenius, Jun 18 2004


emg. you have no control over it whatsoever...
-- po, Jun 18 2004


wouldn't it be awesome if this really existed? I love being tickled. If this does, please email me at lizzybee85@hotmail.com and let me know the price because I sure do want one bad!
-- CateyB, Dec 31 2004


Oh, deity, how'd I miss this one?
+
-- AfroAssault, Mar 18 2005


In searching the Web for a tickling machine (see link), I came across an entire genre of intriguing tickling-based activities. Most enlightening.
-- Basepair, Mar 18 2005



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