There are different types of body swapping. For non-technology swapping, switches can be caused by
magic items such as amulets, heartfelt
wishes, or just strange quirks of the
universe. The switches typically reverse after the subjects have expanded their
world views, gained a new appreciation for each other's troubles by literally "walking in another's shoes" and/or caused sufficient amounts of
farce. Examples include the books
Vice Versa (1882) and
Freaky Friday (1972), as well as the film versions of both. Switches accomplished by technology, exempting gadgets
advanced sufficiently to appear as magic, are the fare of
mad scientists. Body-swapping devices are usually characterized by a highly experimental status, straps, helmets with many complicated cables that run to a central system and a tendency to direly malfunction before their effects can be reversed. Those without such means may resort to
brain transplants. Such experiments can have overtones of
horror or
erotism. Body swap is one of the mechanisms of
accidental travel in fiction. ==See also==