The About page has now been updated to give information about the 3 ways in which you can get your hands on an Enactive Torch (for non-commercial purposes only):

1. You can build an Enactive Torch given the information provided by Creative Robotics Ltd
2. You can contact us to receive an Enactive Torch on a short loan
3. You can contact us to buy an Enactive Torch at cost price

Our hope is that this will facilitate the spread of enactive interfaces and thereby raise awareness about the need for designing technology with consciousness in mind.

More updates coming soon!

Distal perception via use of distal-to-tactile sensory substitution interface does not lead to extension of body image

Tom Froese, Marek McGann, and Anil K. Seth

It is well known that bodily transformations are entailed by practical tool-use, such as changes in body schema and body image after pointing with sticks or manipulating with rakes (see Maravita and Iriki 2004). What remains unclear is which aspects of tool-use cause the transformations. Since no effects are found in control tasks with laser pointers, the changes appear to be related to reachability (Longo and Lourenco 2006).

But is reachability important because elongated tools enable subjects to perceive at a distance, like a blind person using a cane? Or because such tools enable subjects to act at a distance, like a subject using a rake to retrieve an object? Comparisons between elongated tools and laser pointers cannot resolve this question (elongated tools enable both factors simultaneously, while laser pointers enable neither of them).

We used a custom-built hand-held sensory substitution device, the Enactive Torch (Froese and Spiers 2007), to investigate this issue. Subjects trained in using this device, which converts distance measurements into tactile vibrations in the hand, readily report the perceptual experience of things ‘out there’. However, in contrast to the case of using elongated tools, this novel perception at a distance is not accompanied by a change in the possibility for directly acting at a distance. We tested 20 participants but found no evidence of a transformation in their perceived arm length. This suggests that it is the change in the potential for action, not perception, which is the decisive factor for transformations of the body image.

Enacting the body? Use of distal-to-tactile sensory substitution interface does not lead to extension of body image

Tom Froese, Marek McGann, and Anil K. Seth

There is a growing amount of evidence in the cognitive sciences documenting a variety of profound personal and sub-personal transformations entailed by practical tool-use (see Maravita and Iriki 2004). In the neurosciences there is well-known evidence that tools can be incorporated into the body schema during usage. For example, distant object manipulation with rakes leads to an extension of the body schema for the arm (Iriki, et al. 1996). In psychology related effects have been observed in terms of the body image and object perception. For example, when sighted subjects had to complete tasks involving the use of elongated tools, and were subsequently blind-folded and then tapped on their arm, they consistently misjudged the position of the tactile sensations as if their arm had become extended during tool-use (Cardenali, et al. 2009).

What remains unclear is which aspects of tool-use cause these kinds of transformations. Since no such effects are found in control tasks involving the use of laser pointers, tool-based changes of far space to near space, related to reachability, appear to be important (Longo and Lourenco 2006). But is it the fact that elongated tools enable the subject to perceive at a distance, like a blind person using a cane to perceive what is in front of him? Or does it have to do with the fact that such tools enable us to act at a distance, such as when a rake is used to retrieve an object that is outside of reach or when using knife and fork? Comparisons between elongated tools and laser pointers cannot help us to resolve which of these two aspects are necessary and/or sufficient to account for the observed effects (elongated tools enable both factors simultaneously, while laser pointers enable neither of them).

We used a custom-built hand-held sensory substitution device, the Enactive Torch (Froese and Spiers 2007), to investigate this issue. Subjects trained in using this device, which converts distance measurements into tactile vibrations in the hand, readily report a transformation in their perceptual experience that involves the appearance of things ‘out there’ in the world. However, in contrast to the case of using elongated tools, this novel perception at a distance is not accompanied by a change in the possibility for directly acting at a distance. We tested 20 participants with training regimes lasting between 5 minutes to 1 hour, but found no evidence of a transformation in their perceived arm length. This suggests that it is the change in the potential for action, not perception, which is the decisive factor for transformations of the body image.

The new ETs have been designed by Bill Bigge, who switched the controller for an Arduino for ease of programming and created a printed-circuit board in order to make the assembly of additional units more affordable and faster. The rest of the new ET mostly follows the design of the ones previously designed by Adam Spiers and Tom Froese (e.g. distance sensor, vibro-tactile output, bluetooth connectivity, accelerometers, hand-held design).

Two additional difference is that the ultrasonic sensors have been replaced by infrared sensors, as we found these to give more reliable distance measurements. Also, in order to prevent the vibro-tactile response from interfering with the accelerometers, Bill has placed the motors on a velcro strap that can be placed on the arm away from the device.

We are in the middle of writing up the first batch of experiments, so I won’t say more about that just yet. In the meantime here are some pictures of the new Enactive Torches.

At the same time, Bill Bigge at the University of Sussex has taken on the task of developing a printed circuit board (PCB) for the latest version of the Enactive Torch. The idea is that once this is done it will be much cheaper and easier to build additional devices.

There’s also talk about starting a series of psychological experiments on the long-term effects of Enactive Torch usage. In particular it would be interesting to get a more accurate phenomenological description of the developing perceptual experience.

More updates to follow as they become available!

This version of the Enactive torch features live data streaming over Bluetooth which allows an experimenter to remotely observe and record a participant’s use of the torch. ET3 is also much more robust than the last prototype in a number of ways and many successful efforts have been made to reduce noise throughout the device. As in ET2 a number of distance / stimulation profiles are implemented in the device which can be easily selected during the experiment. The device also has lower power consumption so uses fewer batteries than the last Enactive Torch prototype (over the course of the entire workshop the torch showed no signs of running low on power).

ET3 meets all the technical goals that were originally proposed at the start of work on the Enactive Torch. Once the design of this torch has been finalised into a production-ready version, we hope to be able to start making enactive torches on demand for laboratories that wish to use the device in their research.

The application deadline for participation at the workshop is Friday, the 20th of February.

For more information about this event, please click here.