Much faster than evolution, technology may be able to provide us with extra senses — such as X-ray vision, or hearing in sound waves that were previously inaudible to humans. But it might not be a great idea, says a scientist.
Let’s start with a curious fact: we already have more than five senses — and we’re not talking about the mystical “sixth sense”, or intuition.
In addition to touch, taste, vision, sound and smell, we have the sense of pain (nociception, or algesia), the sense of balance (equilibrioception) and the sense of body positioning (proprioception).
But can we dfurther develop more senses?
Author and computer scientist Peter Bentleya researcher at University College London, answers this question in an article in .
A Evolution moves at such a slow pace that it could be millions of years before we develop a new sensory organ, assuming the need to have one arises.
However, technology could provide us extra senses much faster than evolution, and how artificial enhancements could be added to our bodies to achieve this is a popular science fiction topic.
But in the same way, We are already using technology to heighten our senses. You microscopes, for example, allow us to see very small objects, while telescopes make very distant objects visible.
Then there are the X-rayspositron emission tomography (PET) scans, and other medical imaging techniques that allow us to see inside our bodies.
As the capabilities of virtual and augmented reality headsets improve, it may be possible to incorporate this type of technology on portable devices, making them more like an extension of ourselves.
But can this technology ever become part of us? Potentially, and again, there are already precedents for this.
Developed to improve the vision of people with visual impairments, retinal implants are small light-sensitive chips embedded in the retina of the eye. They stimulate the remaining light-sensitive cells to restore a certain level of vision, and in some cases degraded color vision is restored.
In the future, it may be possible to have retinal implants that are sensitive to more than just the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to humans. In theory, it is possible, with these implants, that humans can see up to infrared ranges or ultraviolet — or even beyond.
The same principle applies to cochlear implantswhich were developed to restore hearing to people with hearing impairments, which could one day provide us with the ability to hear sound waves that are previously inaudible to humans.
While these devices exist, they are still nowhere near as advanced, but one day they could be. But the fundamental question It’s not “if it can happen,” says Peter Bentley. The real question we must ask ourselves is: should happen?
There are already cases of patients with retinal implants who suddenly found themselves using obsolete technology, which is no longer supported. When the company that made our eyes goes bankrupt, what do we do?
Or when technology failsas inevitably happens in some cases, will the repair, replacement or removal work cause damage? So, be careful what you wish for, advises the researcher.
Of course, Bentley’s concerns could apply to almost any new technology… as long as it’s pioneering. This was the case, for example, of the first pacemakerswhich currently help thousands of people’s hearts beat — without fail.
