Advanced Interactive Media/Other Topics/A New Hope for Those with Sensory Handicaps

With the explosion of multisensory multimedia, one cannot help but consider the obstacles faced by those with sensory handicaps. Imagine not being able to see the cinematography in your favorite film. Imagine not being able hear the music created by your favorite artist. Many people do not have to imagine, for this is their reality. This is quite a disposition to be in considering the current trends in technology. Now imagine a world where you can see with your tongue. To many this sounds like a work of science fiction created by a bunch of aged hippies having a recurring acid trip.

Researchers across the globe are exploring new means of interfacing technology with the human brain to create a sensory experience. The human brain is so complex that even cutting edge neuroscience does not come close to explaining its inner workings. So how can the power of modern technology be harnessed to empower the blind with sight? Unlike Geordi La Forge in Star Trek, the problem that is encountered is enabling the brain to process the signal that is received from the technology. Although advanced technologies may exist that emulate existing senses, it is just not possible to “plug” these devices directly into the brain. The workaround is to encode the signal and use an existing channel to get to the brain. The brain is a very flexible organ and can adapt extremely well. Blind people are known for having acute senses of hearing. A prime example is the experiment by Austrian researcher, Ivo Kohler, where people wore goggles with prisms that flipped the images upside down before they reached the eyes. Within several weeks the brain adjusted to the difference and the images were seen right side up. When the goggles were removed the images were then upside down until the brain corrected itself again.

There are several researchers experimenting with sensory prosthetics, and one experiment aims at prosthetics for people with damaged inner ears. The inner ear is the part of the body responsible for controlling balance, so one can understand its importance. The success of those experiments led the researchers to trying to use the tongue as an input channel for visual information. In the prototype the user wears a pair of blacked-out glasses with a camera mounted on them. The camera is connected to a laptop, which is connected to a mouthpiece that the user wears. The mouthpiece applies voltage to the tongue.

This is such a hard concept to grasp that it is best understand by hearing it explained from someone who has experienced it firsthand.

I could see it. Feel it. Whatever — I could tell where the foam was. With Arnold Ussen behind me carrying the laptop, I walked around the Wicab offices. I managed to avoid most walls and desks, scanning my head from side to side slowly to give myself a wider field of view, like radar. Thinking back on it, I don't remember the feeling of the electrodes on my tongue at all during my walkabout. What I remember are pictures: high-contrast images of cubicle walls and office doors, as though I'd seen them with my eyes.” With all the advancements occurring at such a rapid pace, sensory prosthetics are sure to become a reality of the near future.

Wired: Mixed Feelings