A New Way of Hearing

Photo credit: Eric Ruby via proto.life

Neuroscientist David Eagleman’s inventions, VEST and Buzz – created through his start-up business Neosensory – turn sound into vibrations and at first glance appear to be new devices for people with hearing loss.

However in truth they are designed to do a lot more. While they are capable of turning sound into touch, they can do the same with other data streams.

“Eagleman has versions of his devices that work with images, with a camera capturing video imagery replacing a microphone to capture sound,” writes Steven Kotler for proto.life.

“He has also built versions that can detect information that typically elude the human senses. The inspiration for Neosensory grew out of a long time interest in synaesthesia, a neurological condition in which one sense gets substituted for another.”

Read more about Eagleman’s innovations here.