It sounds insane, but Eagleman says it's not all that different than from how hearing works naturally. The brain, he explains, can't actually hear -- it's just interpreting electrical signals and presenting it to your consciousness as perception. Cochlear implants work in the same manner, but Eagleman's research is trying to accomplish a similar effect without surgery. If your body can interpret electrical signals from the ear as sound or data, why can't it do the same with sound-based electrical signals that originate from the surface of your skin?

Right now, the Vest is focusing on restoring hearing, but eventually Eagleman wants to use the same system to augment human perception in new ways. What if you could absorb weather or stock market data naturally through your skin? Eagleman believes it's possible, and your brain would natively introduce the Vest's data into human perception as if sensing the weather was a naturally evolved trait.

Well, that's the hypothesis, at least. The team is trying to raise $40,000 on Kickstarter to refine and build a better prototype, initiate behavioral testing and study the brain mechanisms that make sensory substitution possible. Interested? Check out that Kickstarter link below to learn more.



[Image credit: Scott Novich and David Eagleman]