Skip to content
Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.Tao Technologies

Taopatch

Coin-sized adhesive disc its maker says turns body heat into light signals

Made by the Italian firm Tao Technologies, the patch is a small disc taped to the skin. The company says nanocrystals inside convert body heat into weak light aimed at the nervous system, and markets it for pain, posture and balance. Doctors who have looked at that explanation call it unsupported, and the studies behind it are small, financed by the firm and published in minor journals.

People on record

Sorted by strength of stance

Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.

  • Tennis player · Record 24 Grand Slam singles titles

    Photographed in 2023 with a small metal disc taped to his chest, he said it was a Taopatch from Tao Technologies, and Tennis365 reports his claim that the patch is the biggest secret of his career. The same piece quotes a pseudoscience debunker calling the mechanism unbelievable and a neurologist calling the device unproven, and says the supporting studies are small and paid for by the firm.

    Source: Tennis365: Novak Djokovic's Tao Patch, secret weapon or rabbit's foot?

Other entries filed under fitness.

  • Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.

    Home gym

    A private training space at home, from a garage rack to a fully equipped room

    On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it
  • Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.

    Kettlebell

    One implement covering swings, carries and presses in a small space

    On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it
  • Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.

    Resistance bands

    Loop and tube bands for activation work, mobility drills and travel training

    On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    WHOOP

    Screenless wrist strap tracking strain, recovery and sleep

    On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it
  • Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.

    Cold plunge tub

    Chilled tub that holds cold water ready, instead of hauling bags of ice

    On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it
  • Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.

    Heart rate monitor

    Chest strap or watch that logs heart rate and estimates calories burned

    On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 2 recommend it

Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.