i see you

I was intrigued, recently, to learn of a relatively new technology used by the US Navy. Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition have designed a device called a 'brain port' to simulate the neurons of a sensory transduction pathway. Instead of synapsing on interneurons etc, however, this system uses a specialized network of electrodes connected to the tongue. The device was pioneered by Dr. Bach-y-Rita at the University of Wisconsin.

The 'brain port' is connected to the tongue through a red plastic strip, implanted with 144 electrodes which can be used to transmit signals from any number of sensors. This setup has been used extremely effectively with patients who have vestibular system damage due to antibiotics. Without treatment, they are unable to walk and balance themselves correctly. However, with the brain port and an appropriate gyroscopic sensor they are able to walk and balance themselves effectively. Patients are able to use the sensory input through the tongue with practice in very short order.

The US Navy has similarly been testing devices aimed at giving special operations soldiers 'superhuman' powers. One program seeks to adapt the brain port system to allow Navy SEALs to interface with sonar devices. Through the brain port, Navy SEALs have been able to use sonar detection through the nerves of their tongue, identifying shapes and object in dark water. This is remarkable to me because I find it fascinating that the brain can so quickly adapt to new sensory input through the nerve cells in the tongue. That this information could be interpreted meaningfully is even more amazing - as no evolutionary adaptation exists for navigating via echolocation. This way of 'hearing' one's environment may become more commonplace as technological augmentations to the human body become more commonplace.