METHOD OF TRANSMITTING INFORMATION TO A HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM

摘要

The invention pertains to methods of transmitting information to the human nervous system in a manner which circumvents the audio-visual perception pathways. The method involves encoding information to produce tactile signals and training a human subject to recognise those signals. The primary information is broken down into individual streams each of which is encoded in the form of a discrete code chain. The codes of each stream are transmitted to individual fixed sites on the subject's skin; the subject in the course of a training process is taught to synthesise the signals received to form final information equivalent to the primary information. The primary information is encoded with electrical signals with voltages and/or currents of differing frequency and/or amplitude characteristics, mechanical vibration signals of differing amplitudes and/or frequencies and/or locations, and heat signals; the duration of the codes and of the intervals between them is varied, and the degree to which the primary information is broken down is adjusted. The invention facilitates the creation of an artificial sight or hearing system, and also of a fundamentally novel system of exchanging information between machines and humans which can be used for non-audio-visual monitoring of a machine's operation and for control purposes, or for creating a non-audio-visual communication system, for adaptive limb prostheses, etc. The unique feature of the invention is its non-invasive character, i.e. it requires no surgical intervention and can thus be used for healthy individuals and for those requiring aids.