Researchers say their BrainPort device does not replace the sense of sight, but lets the blind perceive images, making it easier for them to navigate their surroundings ...Wow.
BrainPort consists of a tiny digital camera mounted on sunglasses. The camera is attached by a wire to a unit about the size of an iPhone, and the unit connects to a small electrode panel that sits on the tongue. The tongue receives electrical pulses -- like popping champagne bubbles.
The sensations on the tongue create patterns that users learn to perceive as images. The strongest electrical pulses are perceived as white areas and the weaker ones as gray. There is no sensation for black areas. The user has the ability to zoom the device to amplify images.
The blind process the tactile information in the brain's visual cortex, researchers say. Those who could see before they went blind describe the sensations as similar to vision -- although the resolution is not the same, they say. Those who have never had sight say they are better able to form mental pictures of objects.
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Thursday, April 01, 2010
Can You Turn Your Tongue into an Eye?
Yes you can! Dig this.
That actually makes sense. Small children like to check the shapes of things by pressing them against their tongues, so the nerve endings in the tongue are obviously up to the task of distinguishing shapes.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, this is a method for remotely licking surfaces without (a) eating dirt, or (b) getting things all slobbery.
I wonder if it could be used by Bloodhounds or Saint Bernards.
ReplyDelete