What is it about?

The tongue is an incredible complex sensory receptor in the body, yet we know remarkably little about it. This paper investigates how tactile attention works on its surface by adapting the Posner Cueing Paradigm and displaying this information via an electro-tactile interface (a small lollipop-like device that electrically stimulates the tongue).

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Why is it important?

We use a device called the BrainPort to run the experiment. The BrainPort is a 'sensory subsitution device', a machine that swaps information between the senses, primarily for use as a visual aid for people with visual impairments. However, we don't actually know very much about the processing of attention via sensory substitution, which has important implications for people that rely on this device.

Perspectives

This paper has lead to a new exciting area of research for me: applying machine learning to sensory substitution devices. It was also the main study from my PhD project and I'm proud of the research with my co-authors.

Mike Richardson
University of Bath

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Orientation of tactile attention on the surface of the tongue., Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Perception & Performance, July 2022, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/xhp0001007.
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