Hacking the Senses
After reading an article in the new issue of Wired on the elasticity of our brain and the way it interprets stimuli via the 5 senses, my mind started running wild. I couldn’t stop thinking about the implications of “hacking the senses”. Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.
The feelSpace belt, developed by The Magnetic Perception Group of Germany, is an amazing device. By using it over an extended period of time, users have claim to have developed an innate sense of direction, even after taking the belt off.
How It Works
The belt is lined with several vibrators that act as signaling devices. When you are wearing the belt the vibrator that is pointed in the direction of north lets out a signal much like a vibrating cell phone. A control unit keeps track of the direction the user is moving and adjusts the signal automatically.
What are the effects of the device?
Udo Wachter of the University of Osnabruk, tested the unit. After dealing with constant buzzing and odd looks for 6 weeks, he stopped wearing the belt and noticed a change. “I suddenly realized 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. The effects of the belt became more apparent over time. Wachter said he could feel the vibration in his dreams, moving around his waist, just like when he was awake. (Wired, 15.04)
Implications
This example is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to “reprogramming” the way humans interpret the world around them. Many animals have adapted their senses to best fit their surroundings. For example, honey bees see a flower like this: (notice how bright the part of the flower containing the pollen is)
Through evolution, humans have adapted their senses to what best fits the needs, but that doesn’t mean the ability to to sense the world in other ways has been lost. It seems that other ways to interpret our surroundings have just been usurped by the five senses that benefit us the most.
Could we as humans learn to take advantage of these supressed senses? The answer points towards “Yes”.
