Nerve induction is a theoretical method of creating a sensation by stimulation of the sensory nerves rather than by actual stimulus.

History

The concept is mentioned in the 1965

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

'' by

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science-fiction author, best known for his 1965 novel Dune (novel), ''Dune'' and its five sequels. He also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, ...

as a method to inflict pain with no actual injury. No known real-life analogues of such a device currently exist. However, the effect sometime occurs as a side effect of

transcranial magnetic stimulation Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive neurostimulation technique in which a changing magnetic field is used to induce an electric current in a targeted area of the brain through electromagnetic induction. A device called a st ...

. In addition, a number of non-lethal

pain compliance Pain compliance is the use of painful stimulus to control or direct a person. The purpose of pain compliance is to direct the actions of the subject, and to this end, the pain is lessened or removed when compliance is achieved. This provides incen ...

devices have been developed. The most reminiscent of Herbert's fictional device is the microwave-based

Active Denial System The Active Denial System (ADS) is a directed-energy weapon developed by the United States armed forces, U.S. military, designed for area denial, perimeter security and crowd control. Informally, the weapon is also called the heat ray since it wo ...

(ADS), which shows many of the same traits, but uses microwaves rather than nerve induction. Other similar devices include Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) which use painful directed sound waves, and

electroshock weapon An electroshock weapon is an incapacitating weapon. It delivers an electric shock aimed at temporarily disrupting muscle functions and/or inflicting pain, usually without causing significant injury. Many types of these devices exist. Stun guns, b ...

s such as

taser Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...

s, which deliver an incapacitating shock to the nervous system. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nerve Induction Medical treatments Science fiction themes Sensory systems