Can we create new senses for humans? | David Eagleman
Understanding Reality at Different Scales
The human brain is limited in its ability to understand reality at different scales. Our perception is constrained by our biology, and we only experience a small fraction of the waves and signals that exist in the world.
The Limitations of Human Perception
- Our brains are not evolved to understand reality at different scales.
- We are only able to perceive a thin slice of reality.
- We do not see all the colors and waves that exist in the world.
The Incompleteness of Human Vision
- We can only see less than a 10 trillionth of what's out there.
- There are various waves passing through us, such as radio waves and microwaves, that we cannot sense.
- Animals like snakes and honeybees have specialized receptors to pick up on different parts of reality.
The Concept of Umwelt
- Umwelt refers to an animal's subjective reality based on its sensory capabilities.
- Different animals perceive different parts of reality based on their biological sensors.
Expanding Our Perception with Technology
Technology has the potential to expand our umwelt by allowing us to sense and perceive things beyond our natural biological capabilities. Artificial hearing and vision technologies have already shown success in merging technology with biology.
Merging Technology with Biology
- Technology can be used to expand our umwelt.
- Artificial hearing and vision technologies have been developed successfully.
How It Works
- Signals from microphones or cameras are digitized.
- Electrode strips or grids are connected to the relevant sensory nerves.
- The brain learns to interpret and use these signals effectively.
The Brain's Role
- The brain does not directly perceive the world; it only receives electrochemical signals.
- The brain extracts patterns and assigns meaning to create our subjective world.
- The brain is a general-purpose computing device that can adapt to different input channels.
The P.H. Model of Evolution
The P.H. (Potato Head) model of evolution suggests that our natural sense organs are peripheral devices that can be replaced or enhanced with technology. Our brains can adapt to process data from different sources.
Peripheral Plug-and-Play Devices
- Our natural sense organs are like peripheral devices for the brain.
Adapting to Different Data Sources
- Mother Nature has the freedom to experiment with different input channels.
Conclusion
The human brain has limitations in understanding reality at different scales, but technology offers opportunities to expand our perception beyond our biological capabilities. By merging technology with biology, we can enhance our senses and experience a broader range of stimuli. Our brains have the ability to adapt and make sense of new data sources, allowing us to explore and understand the world in new ways.
New Section
In this section, the speaker discusses how nature doesn't have to continually redesign the brain and instead focuses on designing new peripherals. The concept of sensory substitution is introduced as a way to feed information into the brain via unusual sensory channels.
Nature's Design Strategy
- Many birds have magnetite, allowing them to orient themselves to the planet's magnetic field.
- Nature doesn't need to constantly redesign the brain; it focuses on designing new peripherals.
- Sensory substitution is a method of feeding information into the brain through unconventional sensory channels.
New Section
This section explores the concept of sensory substitution and its historical background. The first paper demonstrating sensory substitution was published in 1969.
Sensory Substitution
- Sensory substitution involves feeding information into the brain through unconventional sensory channels.
- Paul Bach-y-Rita conducted an experiment in 1969 where blind people were able to determine what was in front of a camera by feeling vibrations on their back.
- Modern incarnations of sensory substitution include sonic glasses that convert video feeds into soundscapes and an electrotactile grid on the forehead that allows blind individuals to feel objects in front of them.
- The Brainport is a more recent incarnation that uses an electrogrid on the tongue, enabling blind people to navigate obstacle courses and perform tasks like throwing a ball into a basket.
New Section
The speaker introduces their own research interest in sensory substitution for deaf individuals. They describe a project aimed at converting sound from the world into patterns of vibration that can be felt using wearable technology.
Sensory Substitution for Deafness
- The speaker's lab is working on converting sound from the environment into vibratory patterns using wearable technology.
- The goal is to enable deaf individuals to understand spoken language.
- The technology is designed to be portable, affordable, and wearable under clothing.
- Initial tests with deaf participants have shown promising results in their ability to feel and understand the language of the vest.
New Section
The speaker discusses the potential of sensory addition, which involves adding a completely new kind of sense using technology. They propose the idea of feeding real-time data from the internet directly into someone's brain to create a direct perceptual experience.
Sensory Addition
- The concept of sensory addition involves adding a new sense through technology.
- An experiment in the lab involves transmitting real-time data from the stock market to a subject who has to make buy and sell decisions based on patterns they feel but do not consciously understand.
- The speaker wonders if it is possible for humans to develop a direct perceptual experience by receiving real-time data from various sources.
New Section
The speaker highlights the potential impact of sensory substitution and addition technologies. They discuss how these technologies can be game-changers for individuals with disabilities, offering alternatives that are less invasive and more affordable than current solutions.
Impact and Potential
- Sensory substitution technologies have the potential to be game-changers for individuals with disabilities.
- Cochlear implants, currently used for deafness, require invasive surgery, while sensory substitution devices can be built at a fraction of the cost.
- These technologies could be accessible globally, even in poorer countries.
- The speaker emphasizes that there is still much exploration and research needed in both sensory substitution and addition.
The Sixth Sense Expanding Human Perception
In this section, David Eagleman discusses the concept of expanding human perception through technology and sensory augmentation. He mentions an experiment involving a stock market vest that allows the wearer to feel the economic movements of the planet. He also talks about scraping Twitter for sentiment analysis during TED2015 and how he can feel the aggregate emotion of thousands of people in real time.
Expanding Perception through Technology
- The goal is to expand the human umvelt (perceptual experience) so that individuals can have a direct perceptual experience of economic movements.
- An experiment with a stock market vest aims to provide wearers with a tactile sense of economic fluctuations.
- Scraping Twitter for sentiment analysis during TED2015 allows Eagleman to feel the aggregate emotion of thousands of people in real time.
Sensory Substitution and Addition
- Sensory substitution involves using one sense to replace or augment another sense.
- A pilot wearing a vest streaming data from a quadcopter demonstrates sensory addition, extending their perception beyond their physical body.
- The potential for sensory addition goes beyond pilots, with possibilities such as feeling the overall health of the International Space Station or perceiving invisible states of one's own health.
Flexibility of Brain and Cortex
- When someone loses one sense, other senses can take over brain regions previously dedicated to processing that lost sense.
- The cortex is capable of adapting and processing different types of information, making it flexible in terms of receiving new sensory input.
- Examples like braille demonstrate that there may be no theoretical limit to what kind of data the brain can process.
Applications and Future Possibilities
- Beyond sensory substitution, there are numerous applications for expanding perception through technology.
- Astronauts on the space station could benefit from multidimensional data perception, reducing the need for constant monitoring.
- Sensory augmentation can be useful in situations where visual systems struggle to process large amounts of data, such as heavy machinery or factory equipment.
Q&A Potential Limitations and Excitement
In this Q&A session, Chris Anderson asks David Eagleman about potential limitations of sensory addition and his excitement about future directions. They discuss whether the visual cortex is necessary for sensory substitution and the flexibility of the brain in processing different types of information.
Limitations and Theoretical Limits
- The question arises whether sensory addition works as effectively as sensory substitution.
- The visual cortex may still play a role in sensory substitution, but there are no clear theoretical limits to what kind of data the brain can process.
- The brain's flexibility allows it to adapt and repurpose regions for different types of computations.
Future Directions and Applications
- There are numerous applications beyond sensory substitution that excite Eagleman.
- Multidimensional data perception can benefit astronauts on the space station by providing a more intuitive understanding of their environment.
- Sensory augmentation can help individuals monitor heavy machinery or equipment more effectively.
Timestamps have been associated with bullet points based on their order in the transcript.