Synesthesia is a mix-up in the wiring of the brain where sensory inputs are perceived differently than what ‘normal people’ usually experience. People with synesthesia can have visual input mapped to aural perception in the mind, or driving along a highway where there’s a recent skunk roadkill can smell ‘loud.’ It’s an interesting way of perceiving the world that’s usually inaccessible to most of the population, but the Syneseizure tries to replicate this way of viewing the world.
There’s a bunch of types of synesthesia (Led Zeppelin feels purple, or apples smelling further away than grapes), but [Greg] and his team needed to choose one subtype to reduce the complexity of their project. They chose mapping visual input to touch sensation. This was accomplished by attaching a dozen speakers to the test subject’s face. A webcam recorded where the subject was looking at and with a Processing sketch, the webcam was reduced to a grayscale 4×3 pixel grid. The intensity of the each pixel corresponded to the strength of buzzing in each speaker. All that was left to do is put a mask over the subject and have them walk around.
The Syneseizure was built for Science Hack Day San Francisco and ended up winning the people’s choice award. There’s a bunch of pics and a great write-up on the project website, so be sure to check that out.
kinky…
looks like a cyborg gimp mask from hell.
YES MISTRESS PLEASE SHOCK ME AGAIN I HAVE BEEN A BAD BOY.
this is one of the creepiest things i’ve ever seen.
try acid, works just as well. and it doesn’t take battery’s.
Unless it is battery acid.
OK, good, I wasn’t the only one that saw this and wondered ‘what kind of new fetish has the internet released today?’
Well, you know we all like arduinos, but some people *really* like them. *Really*, *really* like them.
http://www.slashdong.org
The Pen15 Board – Arduino Teledildonics Shield
It exists.
The tea strainers on the eyes are a nice touch.
Awesome! I always wondered what the Number 5 taste like….
I Like the headgear…
Suprisingly bland, number 3, now thats the money number!
3 is close, but pi is delicious
Mmmmmmmmmmmm Pi
Not sure I want to know what the number 69 tastes like. Or do I?
Cool idea, but I’m not putting that thing on my face…
What is it with the head-mounted circuits today!
When I first saw this I thought it was some cyberpunk version of one of the Sand People (Star Wars), then I jokingly thought it was some high text S&M gear. Either way, it seems really cool. Maybe (a much more refined version) can be used as a haptic feedback device for the blind. Nice work :D .
It’s like I fell asleep with “American Horror Story” and “Mythbusters” both on in the background. ::shudder::
Really cool project though! My friends and I were just talking about synesthesia today…
I’m sure BBC Wales would like to use this in their next edition of Doctor Who.
I thought halloween was over?
Now add gloves with pressure sensors on the fingertips. Squeeze an object and change the frequency generated in the headphones depending on how firm the object is.
jesus, looks scary. you wouldnt be able to pay me to put that thing on
I wonder what the TSA would do as you approached the security point with it on.
This is also very useful to prevent aliens from reading your thoughts.
it,s look like a SM mask for tec freaks
im reading your thoughts snake!
It’s like the foot soldiers from Ninja Turtle’s went all cyborg
You beat me to that comment.
Why on earth is there NO mention of Sensory Substitution, which is what this actually is? Our very, very cool brain integrates any sensory input as it’s own given that there is a clear correlation between what one does (looking around, exploring) and how the sensory information changes.