[larister]

True in normal conditions, but our neocortex is highly adaptable. I can’t remember the studies, but there have been cases where a grid of actuators was taped to the body of a blind man and hooked up to a camera mounted on his head. In time, he was able to “see” edges based on the signals coming from his skin.

[mod]

That's amazing.

I guess probably the orientation didn't even matter. So likely, you could seamlessly wear something like that on a patch of skin that stayed out of your way (on your back, perhaps).

[hndamien]

This is essentially how cochlear implants work. Just get a usable signal to the brain (early in life) and let the brain sort out what to do with the information.

[zo1]

It's actually a little tab that the blind person puts on their tongue. Link below.

https://www.popsci.com/fda-allows-marketing-device-lets-blin...

[leoc]

That's the current model, the Brainport. The original was indeed a chair, back in the late '60s, and there were several users. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bach-y-Rita

[zo1]

Nice find, I didn't know about it. Thanks for the link!