Hack your senses

Mart Objartel2010

Hack your senses

• Tongue vision• EM fields• Orientation

plasticity of the brain

“Plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new

experiences.”

A Sixth Sense for a Wired World“What if, seconds before your laptop began stalling, you could feel

the hard drive spin up under the load? Or you could tell if an electrical cord was live before you touched it? For the few people who have rare earth magnets implanted in their fingers, these are among the reported effects -- a finger that feels electromagnetic fields along with the normal sense of touch.”

A Sixth Sense for a Wired World(2)

• the magnet works by moving very slightly, or with a noticeable oscillation, in response to EM fields. – This stimulates the somatosensory receptors in the

fingertip, the same nerves that are responsible for perceiving pressure, temperature and pain.

– locate electric stovetops and motors, and pick out live electrical cables

• Appliance cords in the United States give off a 60-Hz field. "It is a light, rapid buzz"

A Sixth Sense for a Wired World(3)

• Carried out by enthusiasts, not medical practitioners

• MRI?• Risk of infection• Long-term problems– Corrosion

Tongue vision

• Real-time images on tongue

Tongue vision (2)• Perception with electrical stimulation of

the tongue is better than with fingertip electrotactile stimulation, and the tongue requires 3% (5-15 V) of the voltage. The mean current for tongue subjects was 1.612 mA.

• The goal is to develop a practical, cosmetically acceptable, wireless system for blind persons, with a miniature TV camera, microelectronics and FM transmitter built into a pair of glasses, and the electrotactile array in a dental orthodontic retainer.

Tongue vision (3)

• Not just in the lab - http://vision.wicab.com/technology/

– BrainPort Vision technology

Tongue vision (4)

Tongue vision (5)• ~3cm x 3cm tongue display, presented at

approximately 30 frames per second, yielding an information rich image stream. Our research suggests that the tongue is capable of resolving much higher resolution information and we are currently working to develop the optimal tongue display hardware and software.

Original 100 points 625 points 3600 points

Tongue vision (5)FAQ

• How long does it take to learn?– 2-10h

• Will I experience vision similar to what I once had?– Experience is as resembling a low-res vision

• Can it hurt me?– Intensity is adjustable, impulses feel like

champagne bubbles

Compass belt

• belt lined with 13 vibrating pads• power supply and a sensor that detected

Earth's magnetic field• Whichever buzzer was pointing north would

go off. Constantly.

Compass belt (2)

• perception of the vibrators disappear whilst conscious information processing is displaced by a new „sense of direction“– "I suddenly realized that my perception had

shifted. I had some kind of internal map of the city in my head. I could always find my way home. Eventually, I felt I couldn't get lost, even in a completely new place."

Compass belt (3)- tactile stimulators

• Applications?– almost a quarter of plane crashes at night ,

resulted from spatial disorientation.– Tell the pilot planes orientation, up & down.

Compass belt (3)- tactile stimulators

• Applications?– and almost a quarter of crashes at night , resulted

from spatial disorientation.– Tell the pilot planes orientation, up & down.

Compass belt (3)- tactile stimulators

• Applications?– and almost a quarter of crashes at night , resulted

from spatial disorientation.– Tell the pilot planes orientation, up & down.

Thank you, questions?

Refrences• Magnets under skin : http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mods/news/2006/06/71087• Tounge shapes : http://kaz.med.wisc.edu/projects_tongshappercept.php• BrainPort : http://palscience.com/science/high-tech-glasses-help-blinds-see/• Compass belt : http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/esp.html• FeelSpace belt: http://feelspace.cogsci.uni-osnabrueck.de/en/technology_01.html