While at ITP, Robert Carlsen and I worked on mapping visual stimuli to physical movement. Our goal was to explore synesthesia -- if flashing lights close to the eye at high frequencies causes visual patterns to appear for the viewer, what happens if we associate different visual patterns with specific body positions? BlindSight is a wearable system for inducing visual hallucinations through strobing light patterns and controlling them with physical movement.

1. BlindSight
Robert Carlsen | Andrew Styer

3. Concept
Explore synesthesia by associating
certain body positions with visual
hallucinations induced by photic
stimulation.

4. Concept
Wearable sensors adjust the
frequency of the flashes and thus
provide various patterns.

5. Inspiration
William Gibson’s “Neuromancer”
protagonist uses electrodes/glasses to jack
into cyberspace
three-dimensional space visualized as
colored geometric shapes

6. Inspiration
Kinesthetics
interest in sensing body movement as a
system rather than as isolated and
disjointed movements.

7. Topics
Proprioception
Perception
Kinesthetics
Association
Self

8. Iteration
Sound & Light Machine
Visuals in support of audio sequence
Expanding visual frequency range
Using body movement
Providing user direct control
Independent eye frequencies

9. Research
Jan Purkinje
Recorded patterns perceived looking at Sun
Mitch Altman
Brainwave Glasses
Dominic H. ffytche
“The hodology of hallucinations”
Cortex, September 2008

10. Experience
LED glasses stimulate vision through eyelids.
Flashes are often perceived as patterns.
Patterns vary based on flashing frequency.
Sensors affixed to sleeves affect frequency.
Alter the experience by moving arms.
Associate position with visual patterns.

12. Context
Solitary exploration
Visual yet vision-diminished
Closed eyes
Seated
Space for movement

13. Materials
Glasses with LED elements
Accelerometers worn on arms
Microcontroller / battery
Soft switch for operation
Snug garment

14. Challenges
Discomfort
Controlling light intensity
Generating meaningful interaction
Photosensitive epilepsy
Bucha effect

15. Successes
People are often eager to try them
Strong favorable reaction
Most participants report visualization
Generally pleasant sensation
Seem absorbed by experience

17. Exploration
Other sensors / movement
Utilize gesture
Expressiveness in lights
Frequency shift events
Experiment with audio

18. BlindSight
Robert Carlsen | Andrew Styer
http://robertcarlsen.net/blog/blindsight