Summary: Frustrated with the slow pace of natural human evolution, scientists, researchers, and biohackers across the globe are pushing the boundaries of sensory perception in bold new directions. The results are fascinating - as Julie Ann and her ConsciousSHIFT Guest, award-winning science journalist Kara Platoni, author of WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY: How Biohackers, Foodies, Physicians, and Scientists are Transforming Human Perception, Once Sense at a Time - will explore in this thought-provoking ConsciousSHIFT Show. Labs are developing brain-controlled robotic limbs that could one day provide people with prosthetics the sense of touch; advances in visual implants are restoring sight to those who have lost it; and the biohacker startup Grindhouse Wetware recently launched Northstar, a light-up skin implant inspired by bioluminescent animals. They hope to one day engineer a version that will include a magnetic compass, giving the user a semi-innate sense of direction. Kara Platoni will introduce us to researchers who are changing the way we experience the world, whether engineering scents that stimulate lost memories in Alzheimer’s patients, searching for the elusive sixth taste, or building virtual reality technologies that prepare soldiers for the battlefield. These diverse investigations offer tantalizing glimpses into a future where we can expand, control, and enhance our senses as never before. Though it may sound like science fiction, perception-shaping devices are becoming profoundly embedded in human life, partly because they can be worn continuously (think Apple Watch, Pebble, fitness wristbands, Google Glass, smart headsets—even the cellphone with its ability to monitor location and take photos), and partly because they are becoming more deeply integrated into the body. Many of the devices on the commercial market are wearable, but other new technologies, currently reserved for those with medical needs, are implanted in the body. And their next generation is headed for the brain. Join Julie Ann and Kara for a mind-blowing exploration of the future of perception on another fascinating ConsciousSHIFT Show.
