Techies 4

Control your sight AND hearing like a TV or radio. O.O

A group of students from the Royal College of Art in London has developed headsets that allow the wearer to adjust their sight and hearing in the same way they'd control the settings on a TV or radio (+ movie).

The Eidos equipment was developed to enhance sensory perception by tuning in to specific sounds or images amongst a barrage of sonic and visual information, then applying effects to enhance the important ones.
"We've found that while we experience the world as many overlapping signals, we can use technology to first isolate and then amplify the one we want," say the designers.

The first device is a mask that fits over the mouth and ears to let the wearer hear speech more selectively. A directional microphone captures the audio, which is processed by software to neutralise background noise.

It's then transmitted to the listener through headphones and a central mouthpiece, which passes the isolated sound directly to the inner ear via bone vibrations. "This creates the unique sensation of hearing someone talk right inside your head," they say.

The second device fits over the eyes and applies special effects - like those seen in long-exposure photography - to what the wearer is seeing in real-time. A head-mounted camera captures the imagery and sends it to a computer, where it's processed by custom software to detect and overlay movement.

It's then played to the wearer inside the headset, allowing them to see patterns and traces of movement that would normally be undetectable.

Possible applications could include sports, allowing teams to visualise and improve technique in real time, and performing arts where effects normally limited to video could be applied to live performance.