Mechano-Synaesthetin'

Before the post, I should say I feel like death warmed over from some bug I caught. But, I was stirred enough by Obama's acceptance speech in Iowa to pull out of my haze and post.

io9 is just posting a slew of stuff, mostly scifi related, but also gems like this. The vibrotactile stimulator pictured above is attached to a camera, where grayscale information varies the speed of vibration. Again, nothing really "new" other than that this is an active probing usage.
I can't find the links now, but an example of previous efforts include BrainPort which uses a camera attached to a grid of piston-like pieces that apply pressure based on grayscale info. Still very cool and more practical for those who want, but don't need, the experience.

Hit me baby

Peripherally related to telepresence, there is a vest being marketed for gaming that allows players to feel the impact of bullets (sans sucking chest wound). Cost: <$200. Behold, the 3rd Space Vest. The first and second were kinda crappy, I guess.
(There's also a pink version for you girlies out there.)

A few links to tide you over

Since my schedule is so completely off, here's a dump of some of the things that hit my radar recently...

Researchers at some oddball university named "Brown" (seriously, who names a university after a color), have been showing off a haptic device used for artistic expression - some sort of hybrid visual and movement art thing. Anyhow, see what the techno-hippies are up to here. Also on Slashdot, under the clever title of "Happiness is a Warm Electrode".

DBS for depression, and mentioned in earlier posts, is featured in the September issue of Popular Science. Interestingly, they target the subgenual cingulate region, which I know has been implicated int he disorder, but I didn't know to such a large extent. Perhaps this area is the linchpin for untreatable depression (versus that controllable through medication). @ Neurophilosphery.

You like the haptics? Oh, yes, you LOVE the haptics! Anyhow, Ishikawa-Namiki Komuro's Laboratory is working on a fancy vibro-tactile suit for the blind. You can imagine how that works - optic sensors that transduce various object features and locations to several vibrating nodes on a suit. Still worth mentioning.

Another accumulation of online learning resources is up in wiki form at Librarian Chick. Learnin's is gooder than not noing. That's mi moto!

Surgery gets all touchy-feely

Sensory feedback is one of those annoying little essential aspects to developing good interfaces. Just look at the iPhone. What are people complaining about the most, besides AT&T's general status as a crappy necessity? The lack of buttons. So why is it surprising that surgery should be any different? Routing around in someone's gut with only a poor sense of elasticity seems awfully crude/dangerous/concerning.

Researchers at Concordia University have developed a tactile feedback system for minimally invasive surgery. The development uses some pretty interesting techniques, which i will leave you to read by your lonesome. In the same week, there was also news of a "tangible 3D" touch interface by a Japanese company, caught by Gizmodo. The whole idea of force feedback is obviously nothing new, and if you want some commercial options, check here or here.