"See with your skin" by sitting in Mind Chair
Resembling an interrogation device from one of those cheap but ineffably-brilliant sci-fi flicks, the Mind Chair bristles with solenoids. Each is ready to prod the occupant's back according to the output of a video camera—the brain, its creators submit, recreates the image from the impressions made.
The pictured model was built by Beta Tank of London and is based on an original displayed by New York's Museum of Modern Art earlier this year.
Mind Chair by Beta Tank [via Dezeen and Gizmodo]
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New implementation of a research project done several decades ago, which was investigating whether such a transducer might be a useful not-quite-vision system for blind users. It was reported to be moderately but not stunningly successful, IIRC, and at the time the cost/complexity/weight made it not practical as a portable device, which is the goal for accessibility purposes
This instance still isn't mobile, but also apparently isn't worried so much about practicality -- it's an auxilliary display at most, and possibly just a toy. (Not that there's anything wrong with toys).
The current research is working with the tongue, rather than the back. See Brainport and over here at Wired
@technogeek:
-yeah - bach-y-rita et al. since the late '60's/early '70's i seem to remember.