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Artlav, this is an incredible project! I have an idea for you. You mention that you want to use a webcam so that you can "overlay" this information on top of a

Artlav, this is an incredible project! I have an idea for you. You mention that you want to use a webcam so that you can "overlay" this information on top of an image. What if you could send it directly to your brain? There is a technology called Brainport[0], which is effectively a 16x16 grid of electrodes small enough to place on your tongue. By feeding electrical impulses through these electrodes, you stimulate the nerves on your tongue. After two minutes of a "champagn bubbling" sensation, your brain rewires the senses from your tongue to your visual cortex and you can "sense" any input. This technology has been used to give sight to the blind, balance to those with inner ear problems, and sonar to NAVY seals. It would be amazing if you were the first person in the world to truly "see" sound. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainport

therein 10y ago
BrainPort sounds extremely cool. How does the brain decide to interpret them as visual input, though?
- fudged71 10y ago
  It's a process called Sensory Substitution[0]. It's technically the perception of that sense. I understand that the rest of your brain 'trains' this pathway to occur. So because you know that there is a sound source and you can see it move in space, and you 'feel' this on your tongue as well, you are capable of correlating the two senses together and associating them with each other. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution
- whatshisface 10y ago
  I'm pretty sure that would be mechanically impossible - the brain is very plastic, but touch-into-sight seems a little far for adult learning. Instead, you could expect this to feel more like acquiring a new sense - the experience reported by those who have used pager vibrators to give their body a compass[1]. [1]http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f358/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f358/ (sorry, I couldn't find a better source - but the product description explains it)
  - tess0r 10y ago
    one of those projects is feelSpace[1] which is a belt with vibrators giving you either a new compass sense, or tells you where to go (as a navigation system). [1] https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/feelspace-follow-your-gut-feeling--3#/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/feelspace-follow-your-gut...
    - fudged71 10y ago
      Thanks for the link. I have wanted one of these belts for years! But I can't believe how expensive it is.
      - BuildTheRobots 10y ago
        Whilst a commercial offering is probably quite expensive, it strikes me as the sort of thing you could do quite cheaply and easily with an arduino. I've actually been collecting the vibration motors from disposable electric toothbrushes to build my own belt; as they were designed to run form a single AA battery powering them should be easy.
        fudged71 10y ago
        Yes I've seen more open and DIY solutions. I was just hoping for a commercial version that I could buy off the shelf.
      - tess0r 10y ago
        I find it quite expensive too. I guess the price is fair if you include the research they did, plus the prototyping, manufacturing and company overhead. I've tried a prototype version of this belt once (for a couple of hours), it worked surprisingly well. But integrating the vibrations as a "new sense" into your brain (so that your subconscious can use it) takes at least some days.
    - eggy 10y ago
      In 1996 I was prototyping a belt with piezo transducers spaced around it with each doubling as emitters and receivers for a crude ultrasonic distance, and then each would vibrate at a higher frequency the closer the object came. Nicknamed 'batbelt' in-house. I dropped it after looking into insurance requirements and ADA compliance.
- Artlav 10y ago
  A human brain is very plastic. There is an app that can turn a picture from the phone's camera into sound real-time, and after a few minutes of training you can start to "see" the picture from listening to that sound. Fascinating stuff.
  - melloclello 10y ago
    What app is that, Artlav?
    - Artlav 10y ago
      Not sure by now - it was shown to me last summer. The thing basically scanned a line across the image, and produced sound based on the brightness. So, with your eyes closed you could quite easily imagine a basic shape of the image from the sound. Maybe someone would recognize the description.
      - spencerflem 10y ago
        This thread inspired me to look this stuff up. I think you're thinking of vOICe? https://www.seeingwithsound.com/ https://www.seeingwithsound.com/
        fudged71 10y ago
        Yes that's the one! https://youtu.be/XuosPzluCRg https://youtu.be/XuosPzluCRg

therein 10y ago

BrainPort sounds extremely cool. How does the brain decide to interpret them as visual input, though?

fudged71 10y ago
It's a process called Sensory Substitution[0]. It's technically the perception of that sense. I understand that the rest of your brain 'trains' this pathway to occur. So because you know that there is a sound source and you can see it move in space, and you 'feel' this on your tongue as well, you are capable of correlating the two senses together and associating them with each other. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution
whatshisface 10y ago
I'm pretty sure that would be mechanically impossible - the brain is very plastic, but touch-into-sight seems a little far for adult learning. Instead, you could expect this to feel more like acquiring a new sense - the experience reported by those who have used pager vibrators to give their body a compass[1]. [1]http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f358/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f358/ (sorry, I couldn't find a better source - but the product description explains it)
- tess0r 10y ago
  one of those projects is feelSpace[1] which is a belt with vibrators giving you either a new compass sense, or tells you where to go (as a navigation system). [1] https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/feelspace-follow-your-gut-feeling--3#/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/feelspace-follow-your-gut...
  - fudged71 10y ago
    Thanks for the link. I have wanted one of these belts for years! But I can't believe how expensive it is.
    - BuildTheRobots 10y ago
      Whilst a commercial offering is probably quite expensive, it strikes me as the sort of thing you could do quite cheaply and easily with an arduino. I've actually been collecting the vibration motors from disposable electric toothbrushes to build my own belt; as they were designed to run form a single AA battery powering them should be easy.
      - fudged71 10y ago
        Yes I've seen more open and DIY solutions. I was just hoping for a commercial version that I could buy off the shelf.
    - tess0r 10y ago
      I find it quite expensive too. I guess the price is fair if you include the research they did, plus the prototyping, manufacturing and company overhead. I've tried a prototype version of this belt once (for a couple of hours), it worked surprisingly well. But integrating the vibrations as a "new sense" into your brain (so that your subconscious can use it) takes at least some days.
  - eggy 10y ago
    In 1996 I was prototyping a belt with piezo transducers spaced around it with each doubling as emitters and receivers for a crude ultrasonic distance, and then each would vibrate at a higher frequency the closer the object came. Nicknamed 'batbelt' in-house. I dropped it after looking into insurance requirements and ADA compliance.
Artlav 10y ago
A human brain is very plastic. There is an app that can turn a picture from the phone's camera into sound real-time, and after a few minutes of training you can start to "see" the picture from listening to that sound. Fascinating stuff.
- melloclello 10y ago
  What app is that, Artlav?
  - Artlav 10y ago
    Not sure by now - it was shown to me last summer. The thing basically scanned a line across the image, and produced sound based on the brightness. So, with your eyes closed you could quite easily imagine a basic shape of the image from the sound. Maybe someone would recognize the description.
    - spencerflem 10y ago
      This thread inspired me to look this stuff up. I think you're thinking of vOICe? https://www.seeingwithsound.com/ https://www.seeingwithsound.com/
      - fudged71 10y ago
        Yes that's the one! https://youtu.be/XuosPzluCRg https://youtu.be/XuosPzluCRg