Feb

The Colorful Life of a Human Cyborg

by Meredith Mullins on February 6, 2014

Neil Harbisson, a human cyborg, wearing a head device which expands his senses for creative expression (Photo © Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin)

Neil Harbisson, cyborg and artist, changing the world of senses.
© Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin

Neil Harbisson: Expanding the Boundaries of Creative Expression

He can hear a Picasso painting.

He can paint a Mozart serenade.

He stands for hours in a supermarket aisle listening to a symphony of rainbow-colored cleaning bottles.

He composes music from faces.

This is Neil Harbisson, human cyborg. His senses defy tradition. His creative expression is unique.

He was born to a colorless world, where, in his words, “the sky is always gray and television is still in black and white.”

But, because he believes that everyone should wish to perceive what they can’t perceive, he was driven to extend his sensory perception.

He wears a cybernetic eye—an “eyeborg”—that translates colors into sounds on a musical scale (and vice versa). Pretty cool.

His “Oh, I see moments” become “Oh, I hear moments” . . . and beyond.

black and white landscape, showing that lack of color is a challenge for creative expression (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

A world without vibrant blue sky and a hundred shades of spring green
© Meredith Mullins

A World in Black and White and Shades of Gray

What would it be like to spend your life seeing only black and white and a range of gray tones—to never know the blueness of an open sky or the multitude of greens that emerge as trees come alive in spring?

color landscape, showing inspiration for creative expression (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

A new world
© Meredith Mullins

Neil was born with a rare color vision disorder that creates a gray-scale world. At first his parents thought he was just confused by the names of colors. Doctors thought he was colorblind. His classmates teased him when his socks didn’t match.

At age 11, he was officially diagnosed with achromatopsia. He could not see color at all.

The Eyeborg

Over time, he tried to make sense of color— to associate colors with people. For example, when someone talked about the color blue, he thought of a friend who was very brainy. He created his own world.

When he went on to study music in college, fate introduced him to cybernetics expert Adam Montandon. The result was a collaborative invention—the “eyeborg”— that would enable Neil to hear color.

Neil Harbisson , a human cyborg, using the eyeborg to translate the color orange into a sound so he can use his senses for creative expression (Photo © Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin)

The eyeborg translates “orange” into a musical note.
© Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin

The eyeborg translates light waves (colors) into sound waves, by linking each color to a note or frequency on the musical scale. A camera mounted on Neil’s head scans the colors in front of him and transmits the sound through a chip in the back of his head.

He had to memorize the names of colors and the frequencies associated with each hue, but eventually that became subliminal.

“When I started to dream in color, I felt the software and my brain had united,” he explains. “That’s when I called myself a cyborg.”

He grew more and more comfortable wearing the device on his head. He wore it everywhere—to sleep . . . and even in the shower.

Colorful cleaning products on a grocery shelf, illustrating how Neil Harbisson, a human cyborg standing nearby, will hear a symphony of sounds via his eyeborg. (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

As Harbisson says, “In the supermarket, the cleaning product aisle becomes a symphony.”
© Meredith Mullins

And, finally, he appeared on his passport photo complete with his headgear (after a battle with the British authorities, who don’t allow official photographs with electronic equipment). Neil convinced them that the eyeborg was a part of his body.

As advanced as the eyeborg is, Neil still has to plug himself in periodically to charge his antenna through a USB port at the back of his head. He looks forward to the day when he doesn’t have to depend on electricity. He hopes to use his own blood circulation to keep the device charged.

Neil Harbisson, a human cyborg, plugged into wall, recharging the device that expands his senses for creative expression (Photo © Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin)

Time out for recharging
© Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin

Exploring Creative Frontiers

In a world of science fiction, robotic prowess, and Google Glass, Neil is an unexpected hero. He uses his new perceptions as creative power, breaking boundaries between sound and sight, art and science.

He is the ultimate listener—listening to art, his environment, and the people he meets.

“The way I perceive beauty has changed,” he admits. “When I look at someone, I hear their face. Someone might look beautiful but sound terrible.”

His taste in art has changed. Certain painters, like Rothko and Miró, produce very clear notes. Others produce clashing chords because of the colors they use.

He performs in concerts by playing the colors of the audience. He preempts review with this caveat, “The good thing about this is that if the concert doesn’t sound good it’s their fault, not my fault.”

He creates sound portraits, so that people can “hear” their faces. He’s also working on a sound portrait of Venice, with other cities to come.

Then, in a creative reversal of fortunes, he turns musical notes or frequencies into visual art. He paints Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven, and Rachmaninov and creates visual impressions of famous speeches.

Neil Harbisson's painting of Mozart's Queen of the Night, creative expression inspired by hearing color. (Image © Neil Harbisson)

A sonochromatic painting of Mozart’s Queen of the Night
© Neil Harbisson

A Cyborg Gathers No Moss

Neil continues to push the boundaries with his work. Regular human color vision includes the visible spectrum of light. But, that’s not enough for a cyborg.

He has added both infrared and ultraviolet light to his audible wavelengths, giving him the advantage of being able to detect motion sensors and of knowing when it’s safe to sunbathe.

Neil Harbisson, a human cyborg, wearing yellow, an inspiration of creative expression (Photo © Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin)

Neil used to dress to look good. Now he dresses to “sound” good.
© Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin

He has also created the Cyborg Foundation to help humans become cyborgs, to promote the use of cybernetics as part of the human body, and to defend cyborg rights.

“Life will be much more exciting when we stop creating applications for mobile phones and start creating them for our body,” Neil says.

Spoken like a true cyborg . . . and an artist who understands the value of extending the senses for unparalleled creative expression.

Photographs courtesy of The Cyborg Foundation and Dan Wilton/Red Bulletin.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Innovations/The World's Art & Design/The World's Music

Feb

Good Advice from A to Z — Life-Tested!

by Sheron Long on February 3, 2014

Speech balloon that says "My best piece of advice? It's to ____" used to prompt the OIC community to share good advice to live life well. (Image © Carsten Reisinger/iStock)

Answers to this question, posed to the OIC Community, bring life-tested advice your way!

The “Oh, I See” Community Speaks Up on How to Live Life Well

Here at OIC Moments, our readers are always learning and growing. They’ve amassed much wisdom from their life experiences and keep inspiring us with their insights!

So, when we asked for their best advice, we were not surprised to find a remarkable collection of life-tested wisdom.

Though each piece of advice expressed an individual’s truth, the collective wisdom of the community zeroed in on four essentials of life:

Being happy

Getting through the tough times

Liking and investing in yourself

Respecting others

With thanks to the OIC Community, we’ve compiled their wisdoms into a free ebook Good Advice from A to Z to help you live life well. May you find an “Oh, I see” moment or two in their wisdom, starting with a selection of their advice in this post.

Happiness Is What Counts

Angel Buffalino articulated why happiness is at the core of life:

“Be happy in whatever you do. Nothing else will matter if you aren’t happy.” —Angel Buffalino

And Stephanie Owens suggested a quick way to find your smile when you’re blue:

But where does happiness come from? No one mentioned money or status or material goods as the source. Instead, the OIC view is that happiness comes from attitude:

“My dad always told me, ‘Just BE HAPPY.’ Don’t whine and complain about things you can’t change. Don’t dwell on a bad situation. Just SMILE and you will instantly feel better. And when you feel good, good things will come to you.” —Carl L. Smith, Jr.

To be happy, the community recommended some great approaches to life:

“Free your mind, cherish every moment, live, and enjoy your life.” —M. Bucarelli

“The advice I’ve always followed and continue to give: Listen to your heart.” —Rhonda Best

“Save some of that ‘making everyone else’ happy time to make yourself happy.” —Justine Gooding

Today in the field of positive psychology, pioneered by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, scientists are studying happiness to uncover ways it can be strengthened. This new science of happiness reveals that people, who turn positive behaviors like the above into habits, are happier. Find more on “The Habits of Supremely Happy People,” in this Huffington Post article.

Weathering the Storms

One thing’s for sure in life—tough times will come your way. Christine knows that they are actually an important part of getting good at life. She said:

Venessa Kelly is a good sailor. In her life, she experienced the storm as well as the sunshine that followed:

“ ‘What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’ is my favorite quote. I’m a widowed mom of two wonderful young boys. In the darkest time of my life, I’ve managed to overcome so much pain and sadness and gained the strength to provide for our little family and make us happy again.” —Vennesa Kelly

Just as attitude plays a role in happiness, the OIC community also saw a positive attitude as a powerful strategy for getting through the tough times:

“If you can’t change a situation, try changing the way you look at the situation.” —Kim Mignella

What You’re Made Of

In advising on identity and personal growth, the community saw a balancing act! On the one hand, there were recommendations for liking yourself the way you are and staying true to yourself:

“My best advice for anyone is to be yourself, always—the only person you have to answer to is yourself, and nobody can take that away from you. You then can be your best critic, and you alone can rectify your own mistakes. Being just YOU is simply original and unique.” —Anitha Kuppuswamy

On the other hand, many advised investing in yourself, pushing the limits, and seeking continuous improvement:

“My dad used to say, ‘Get yourself an education. You can’t lose it, and nobody can take it away from you.’ ” —Barbara Mayes

“By attempting something really difficult and outside of your comfort zone, you will discover how strong you really are.” —Serena Adkins

“Make mistakes. Make them often. But don’t ever make the mistake of not trying.” —Anne

Finding the balance, it seems, is a uniquely personal decision.

A Matter of Respect

Amid the life advice from the OIC community, the most often repeated was to:

Treating others as you want to be treated is a matter of respect. And the community advised on several DOs and DON’Ts:

“Be kind to everyone.” —Bill Digiglio

“Be humble.” —Leland Lee

“Never talk badly about others so they have nothing bad to say about you!” —Melissa Mazzur

“When you stop expecting people and situations to be perfect, you can start to appreciate them for whom and what they are.” —Susan Stickney

Relationships get stronger when respect is the basis. And that brings us back to happiness to which all the advice is related. Happiness is about feeling good and finding meaning in life, all of which comes to people who maintain good relationships, feel they are worthwhile, can make contributions, and are strong enough to get through tough times.

Enjoy the full collection of wisdom from the OIC Community in this free ebook. Download here: