5 ms·

Sensory substitution [0] is amazing. There is (was?) a research group which created a belt that encoded the direction of north (or towards other points) in vibr

Sensory substitution [0] is amazing. There is (was?) a research group which created a belt that encoded the direction of north (or towards other points) in vibrations that always pointed towards north (the target) when the user turned. After a while, the users no longer perceived the vibrations but acquired a sense of north as entity itself. It is said to be very helpful to the blind as our sense of balance seems to be too imprecise for dead-reckoning [1], so things like walking unguidedly over a fields instead of following a track seems to be problematic. (I know no blind people myself, so I can not say if this is true in general). They founded a spin-off company that tries to commercialize the technology [2]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_reckoning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_reckoning [2] https://www.feelspace.de/ https://www.feelspace.de/

glandium 7y ago
I don't remember how well it worked and how far they went with the idea, but there was a team twenty-some years ago doing touch sensory research using a matrix of pins/dots that reacted to camera input, and attached to the back of blind people to make them "see".
- npongratz 7y ago
  Other research along these lines are "plotting" visual signals onto tongues. Here's an interesting article from 2009 talking about it: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/device-lets-blind-see-with-tongues/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/device-lets-blind... "From the CPU, the signals are sent to the tongue via a "lollipop," an electrode array about nine square centimeters that sits directly on the tongue. Each electrode corresponds to a set of pixels. White pixels yield a strong electrical pulse, whereas black pixels translate into no signal. Densely packed nerves at the tongue surface receive the incoming electrical signals, which feel a little like Pop Rocks or champagne bubbles to the user." It's been available in Europe since 2013, and the US FDA apparently approved the device in 2015: https://www.medicaldaily.com/fda-approve-brainport-device-which-allows-blind-see-tongue-re-teaching-brain-overcome-339328 https://www.medicaldaily.com/fda-approve-brainport-device-wh...
Vanit 7y ago
You're not referring to the North Paw are you?
- blotter_paper 7y ago
  Not sure if this is what GP is thinking of, but I think you're thinking of North Sense: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wnpvb5/cyborg-implant-north-sense-fitted-on-humans https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wnpvb5/cyborg-implant-nor...
  - Vanit 7y ago
    Sorry for slow reply, but I did mean North Paw: https://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/ https://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/

glandium 7y ago

I don't remember how well it worked and how far they went with the idea, but there was a team twenty-some years ago doing touch sensory research using a matrix of pins/dots that reacted to camera input, and attached to the back of blind people to make them "see".

npongratz 7y ago
Other research along these lines are "plotting" visual signals onto tongues. Here's an interesting article from 2009 talking about it: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/device-lets-blind-see-with-tongues/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/device-lets-blind... "From the CPU, the signals are sent to the tongue via a "lollipop," an electrode array about nine square centimeters that sits directly on the tongue. Each electrode corresponds to a set of pixels. White pixels yield a strong electrical pulse, whereas black pixels translate into no signal. Densely packed nerves at the tongue surface receive the incoming electrical signals, which feel a little like Pop Rocks or champagne bubbles to the user." It's been available in Europe since 2013, and the US FDA apparently approved the device in 2015: https://www.medicaldaily.com/fda-approve-brainport-device-which-allows-blind-see-tongue-re-teaching-brain-overcome-339328 https://www.medicaldaily.com/fda-approve-brainport-device-wh...

Vanit 7y ago

You're not referring to the North Paw are you?

blotter_paper 7y ago
Not sure if this is what GP is thinking of, but I think you're thinking of North Sense: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wnpvb5/cyborg-implant-north-sense-fitted-on-humans https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wnpvb5/cyborg-implant-nor...
- Vanit 7y ago
  Sorry for slow reply, but I did mean North Paw: https://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/ https://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/