Violet wand
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| − | A violet ray or violet wand is a device used for the application of low current, high frequency electricity (static electricity) to the body using a Tesla coil for purposes of electrotherapy. Violet Ray devices are popular among collectors of "quack" medical devices. Since the 1990s the devices have become popular in the [[BDSM]] community for use in sexual stimulation. | + | A violet ray or violet wand is a device used for the application of low current, high frequency electricity (static electricity) to the body using a Tesla coil for purposes of electrotherapy. Violet Ray devices are popular among collectors of "quack" medical devices. Since the 1990s the devices have become popular in the [[BDSM]] community for use in sexual stimulation ([[electrical play]]). |
In use, a violet wand produces a fine shower of static electrical sparks from the yip of a glass "wand," which glows violet in the process, hence the name. The wand can be set to a range of strengths from very mild tickling to excrutiating, and interchangable glass heads can be used to distribute the charge to the body in a variety of different ways. | In use, a violet wand produces a fine shower of static electrical sparks from the yip of a glass "wand," which glows violet in the process, hence the name. The wand can be set to a range of strengths from very mild tickling to excrutiating, and interchangable glass heads can be used to distribute the charge to the body in a variety of different ways. | ||
Revision as of 15:45, 30 March 2005
A violet ray or violet wand is a device used for the application of low current, high frequency electricity (static electricity) to the body using a Tesla coil for purposes of electrotherapy. Violet Ray devices are popular among collectors of "quack" medical devices. Since the 1990s the devices have become popular in the BDSM community for use in sexual stimulation (electrical play).
In use, a violet wand produces a fine shower of static electrical sparks from the yip of a glass "wand," which glows violet in the process, hence the name. The wand can be set to a range of strengths from very mild tickling to excrutiating, and interchangable glass heads can be used to distribute the charge to the body in a variety of different ways.
A violet wand should not be used on someone who has a pacemaker, insulin pump, or other electrically operated medical implant. Similarly, it should not be used on anyone with a history of cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart beats), heart disease or those who are taking heart medication. Safe, sane and consensual (SSC) proponents prefer to confine violet wand use to areas below the waist. In order to understand the reason for this, it is necessary to take a brief look at the electrical conduction system of the heart. The heart beats due to the conduction of electrical signals along it's long axis (top left to bottom right in the centre of the chest as you look at a person), which may be disrupted by a current applied to the chest flowing in this axis. The precise axis of the heart varies from person to person, with the movements of breathing, according to anatomical differences and whether or not the person has had previous heart disease, so it would be foolish to assume you can predict the axis of the heart, and thus avoid it. The best course of action is therefore "below the waist." However, humans are not electrical circuits and are unpredictable beasts due to their inherent anatomical and physiological variability- we are all different and have unpredictable tolerances.
Many people try out Violet Wands on the hands before buying, but technically these are (in an electrophysiological sense) "above the waist" as they plug-in, as it were, at the shoulders providing a pretty good way of delivering the shock across the heart that one is trying to avoid. If you are going to use the arms, do not use both at once. Obviously this does not apply to legs, or the genitalia as they are not plugged into either side of the chest.
Just as the static electricity from a rubbed balloon will not kill you, a Violet Wand stroked down a back (above the chest) is unlikely to cause a problem. Note the use of "unlikely" here. Nothing is certain in medicine, and you must weigh the risks and benefits, just like smoking or driving a car. Fit young people with previously unknown heart problems have been known to die suddenly under stress, a category which fits many forms of BDSM.
Do not use Violet wands near the eyes. Even though some violet wand attachments are butt plug shaped, it is unwise to use these internally due to the fragility of the thin glass used. If a violet wand is used for too long on any one part of the body, reddening of the skin or more localised tattooing may occur, representing an electrical burn in minature. The use of drugs in BDSM is another subject altogether, but do not use electro play if you are on Cocaine or using any form of solvent (which includes poppers / amyl nitrate). Cocaine increases the risk of arrhythmias in the heart, and solvents render the heart muscle very sensitive to the effects of physiologically released adrenaline, again putting you at risk of sudden stress induced arrhythmias.
A violet wand may overheat if it is used for extended periods of time, especially on high settings, causing it's wax core to melt. It will arc to metal. The sparks from a violet wand will ignite flammable liquids and gases. It has been suggested that a residual-current circuit breaker directly between the violet wand and the wall socket could be used for safety, but the Tesla coil is a transformer and completely negates the action of an RCD. Like all electrical devices, the violet wand should be kept away from water or other fluids, so does not make an ideal partner for watersports.
