The five senses are usually attributed to five particular parts of the body: we sense sound with our ears, we see with our eyes, and so on. Or at least that’s what we think. But as it turns out, these common understandings are actually misunderstandings. Though the ears, eyes, nose, skin, and tongue help us collect information from our surroundings, it is the brain that allows us to process data and experience any kind of sensation. We may be able to smell with our eyes and taste with our skin–as long as we have a functional brain.
It sounds ridiculous, but let me assure you that I mean it with all sincerity. Paul Bach-y-Rita, the late neuroscientist who pioneered the invention of the BrainPort V100, would have given his full-fledged support. Due to his work in neuroplasticity, Dr. Bach-y-Rita was able to show how the tongue is able to help those who are blind see.
Image source: Callista Images
Although the original BrainPort V100 was invented in the early 2000s, the FDA has allowed the device to be sold on the market only recently, on June 18, 2015. When used in tandem with other assistive devices such as white canes or guide dogs, the BrainPort V100 helps those who are blind orient themselves by allowing them to process visual images with their tongues. It is a battery-powered device comprised of a video camera attached to a pair of sunglasses and a flat intra-oral device designed to be placed on the tongue. Images caught on the camera are converted via computer software into electrical signals that are then sent to the intra-oral device, creating vibrations that the tongue can sense. The vibrations felt on the tongue are then interpreted by the users to determine location, position, size, shape, and even motion of objects.
With the use of the BrainPort V100, those who are blind can obtain a greater sense of their surroundings, which is something they would not have the chance to experience with solely a cane or guide dog. The device’s manipulation of neuroplasticity may open the door to a myriad of new innovations that may help people with any kind of impairment gain a new sense of the world.
