Gaining a sense for electromagnetic fields!

What if, seconds before your laptop began stalling, you could feel the hard drive spin up under the load? Or you could tell if an electrical cord was live before you touched it? For the few people who have rare earth magnets implanted in their fingers, these are among the reported effects -- a finger that feels electromagnetic fields along with the normal sense of touch.

Fascinating article on people who've had magnets embedded in their fingers being able to sense magnetic fields. No doubt in the future there will be many new technological add-ons which allow us to enhance or extend our senses. This raises some interesting philosophical questions. For example: would an artificial eye that was sensitive to a broader spectrum of light than a natural Human eye enable us to perceive new colours?

Brain-Computer interface

Scientists are developing a brain-computer interface for Darpa that could help security officers sift through surveillance video or images 10 times faster than an unaided human.



Interesting article from Wired magazine. This device utilises a brain signal called the P300 which can be measured by EEG equipment, similar to that which we use at the Mind Lab.