Photo: Randi Klett
The dream of using electrotechnologies to control human physiology is an old one, as this ad from June 1967 attests. Written in the style of a research report only broadly related to the advertiser’s business—a popular format in IEEE Spectrum’s early years—this ad identifies the brain, heart, diaphragm, bladder, and limbs as fruitful areas for electrical stimulation. It also predicts increased experimentation and exploration of ways to technologically better our bodies. As this month’s special issue of Spectrum shows, it wasn’t wrong.
Part of a continuing series looking at the story of technology as told through advertisements.