Colour-Blind Artist Neil Harbisson Embeds 'Eyeborg' in Skull to 'Hear' Colour

I found an article today about Neil Harbisson, 31, who was born with achromatopsia, a rare condition which means he can only see in black and white, his world is totaly gray scale but thanks to a device he has attached to his head he can 'hear' color.

Now he is going a step further and having an upgraded version of the device implanted into his head.

Last month, in a series of operations in Barcelona, Harbisson had the device implanted into his skull, giving him greater depth of perception, and tomorrow he will unveil the device.

Project spokeswoman Mariana Viada said: "There is now more distinction between the colours - it is much wider and more definite.

"But the most important new thing is that he can now connect with other devices.

Source

He started life with a disability but thanks to his new device that can interpret infra red and ultra violet colors into sound he arguably has better color recognition than normal humans.

I had never heard of this before. Fascinating the things that can be done thses days. I couldn't imagine a world without color. It is such a vital part of our lives.

Synesthesia self imposed.

OP this is amazing, I'm so glad you posted it! It makes my brain hurt, but I think it's just wonderful. Imagine being able to add a sense that you didn't have.

There was some device I read about that would give you a notice of which direction you were oriented to (it wasn't a pooping dog, forgive me if you don't get that). It trained people to always know if they were facing NSEW.

I wonder what would happen if we switched all the sounds. Red wouldn't be red, and maybe a favorite painting would lose it's appeal.

Were the tones picked arbitrarily, and if so do they have an effect on his perception of the colors? I have favorite colors, but if I couldn't see them and they were understood by sound, would my favorite color change because I preferred a certain sound? OP I don't usually say this (I never say this) but STAR AND FLAG! I might have to make another account to do it again.

So he is able to 'experience' colour instead of seeing them........fascinating.......I wonder what it feels like.

A voluntary implant? Silly human.
Doesn't know that his mind can now be controlled?

reply to post by Phage


Phage is still mad his implant wasn't voluntary and the mothership is forcing him to debunk all of the silly BS on ATS. He just wants to hang glide.

I guess its almost like LaForge off star trek being able to see/hear colors that no one else can.

I wonder if he can see people in the dark if they are giving off infra red?

He should also be able to see hotspots in building fires for example.

Fascinating video!

Extending our senses is almost a no-brainer. Hearing your food holds just so many implications it's ridiculous. Since we only use a small portion of our brains ( or so it's said ) you have to ask just how much of our world/reality are we missing?

I've often tried imagining what it would be like to have no concept of what color is. It's something I haven't really been able to comprehend. Interesting idea.

By the way, his outfit must sound like a grand opera.

reply to post by PhoenixOD


Wow! F&S for the Op!

I've never seen or heard of anything like this, it's truly amazing. Where will technology take us next?

On the other hand, I don't know how he doesn't go crazy, constantly listening to all the color around him. I'll bet he did, at first. I guess that's what he was talking about when he described how it took time before his brain adapted to the point where it began to feel like it was just another natural function.

The art work was really cool stuff too!

Thanks for posting.