Editing Sensebridge

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=Sensebridge: The Noisebridge Cyborg Group=
[[Image:CoinTypePagerMotors.jpg|right|350px|title|Coin Type pager Motor]]

"If you can't beat the robot armies, join them."

We are concerned with human-machine interfaces.


==Motivations==

We want to "make the invisible visible", to bridge our senses.  Many group members were inspired years ago by this [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/esp.html awesome Wired article], which describes obtaining an <i>unerring sense of direction</i> via a compass belt.  Is the brain really plastic enough to adapt to entirely new senses?  How natural would it feel after you've fully adapted?  Then what happens when you take the device off?

What new sense do you want?  What existing sense might it map onto?

==Terminology==

To avoid confusion (where possible) we'll try to use these terms.

"Sensor" is the device that detects external stuff that the body (probably) can't detect.  Sensors can be divided into those that sense the world, and those that digitize a user's actions.  The latter are more commonly called "human input devices", (HID's).

"Display" is the way the device shows data to the body (not necessarily visually).  This gets around the device-centric / body-centric problem that shows up when using the terms input & output.  

"Armature" is the physical component of the device: the belt, hat, armband, etc; distinct from the electronics.

==Mailing List==

We have created a [https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/cyborg cyborg mailing list] on the Noisebridge server.  Please join us!

==Component Sourcing==

Here are pages for discussing:

===[[Sensors|sensors]]=== 
detect a property of the world

===[[Displays|displays]]=== 
communicate it to the body/mind
===[[Armatures|armatures]]=== 
hold the above together and in the proper place on the body

They also include a list of all known/speculated types of each.

==Sensor and Display API==

*What might that mean?
**A standard protocol that can:
**#encompass most sensory data of the sort we are interested in researching
**#allow for presentation of any those data through any of a wide variety of modalities

*Why?
**Plug-and-play(ish) interoperability of sensors and displays. Build three sensors and three displays, and we have 9 possible combinations, und so weiter.
**Simplify development by separating sensing and presentation design/tasks.

*How?
**On the data sensing end:
**#Identify a primary set of interesting stimuli, consider various encodings thereof.
**#Abstract away from the physical phenomena the stimuli represent and look instead at common patterns in the data streams.
**#???
**On the data display end:
**#Identify and prototype a number of display methods.
**#For each method think of:
**#*What modulations of the signal are possible; intensity, spacing, direction, timing...? Based on that, what is the theoretical bandwidth of that method?
**#*How sensitive is the average person there? How much of the signal can the brain interpret meaningfully (too much noise vs. too weak of a signal)? Based on that, what is the <em>practical</em> bandwidth that we might expect?

==Current Projects==
[[Compass Vibro Anklet|Compass Vibro-Anklet]]

[[Eyes in the back of your back]]

[[Tongue Tingler|Tongue Tingler (Trans-lingual Electric Nerve Stimulator)]]

[[Free hands input device]]

[[Pulse Necklace]]

[[QuickLook Displays]]

[[UltraSonicHearing Ultrasonic Hearing / Echolocation]]

==Cybernetic Theory==

Cybernetic loop of GPS + vibrating hat, [https://www.noisebridge.net/images/d/d7/Find_Treasure_%28GPS%29.jpg diagram].

Pseudo-cybernetic loop showing neural integration of artificial sensory system, [https://www.noisebridge.net/images/8/8f/Sensory_Addition_%281.5_order%29.jpg diagram].

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetic Cybernetics page on Wikipedia]


==Links==
Youtube of experimenter stimulating his face with small electrical pulses to produce externally controlled movements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy8zUHX0iKw

http://transcenmentalism.org/OpenStim/tiki-index.php

http://openeeg.sourceforge.net/doc/

http://www.biotele.com/  - remote control cockroach

http://www.instructables.com/id/Breath-powered-USB-charger/

VibroHat in action at BIL 2008:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinn/2307779651/in/photostream/

[[Lamont's PWM code]]


==Meeting Notes==

[[NBC_2009Mar15|March 15, 2009]]

[[NBC_2009Mar22|March 22, 2009]]

[[NBC_2009Mar29|March 29, 2009]]

[[NBC_2009Apr05|April 5, 2009]]

[[NBC_2009Apr19|April 19, 2009]]

(the meetings continue apace; the minutes, sadly not)

[[Category:Sensebridge]]