Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by meindnoch 738 days ago
That's not a new sense, just using the existing tactile system with a magnet.
2 comments
iandanforth 738 days ago
Senses are defined by what they sense, not how they are sensed. A person can have their sight partially restored through implants that bypass rod/cone activation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6934168/
link
meindnoch 737 days ago
That's still signaling through the optic nerve.

If they would restore vision by using e.g. the cochlear nerve, that would be something.

link
knodi123 738 days ago
you'd be surprised.

I've heard about people experimenting by wearing a belt with dozens of haptic motors and a compass, so that it always indicates the direction of north. After a while wearing it, they stop consciously feeling the sensation of the vibration, and just feel "northness". And then when they take off the belt, they feel weirdly disoriented for a while, even in familiar places.

link