Neurophone by Patrick Flanagan
Hearing with the Skin instead of Hearing with the Ears
Hearing is possible not only with the ears - there is a device by which
one can hear directly with the skin instead of hearing with the ears.
The Neurophone, which transmits sound information by contact with the
skin, has been invented already in the year of 1958 by the American
Patrick Flanagan. The sensation of hearing with the skin is different
from the normal hearing: The sounds come up in the center of the
listener's brain and are perceived in a spatial order. It is even
possible to generate visual effects in the brain by this way. During
using the Neurophones one wears a headband instead of earphones. Under
the headband two electrodes are fixed directly to the head. The piezo
ceramic electrodes transmit the signals via the skin into the brain.
The Neurophone makes it possible for totally deaf people to hear if
their deafness is caused by a damage of their nerves. Sometimes the
first sensation of hearing is delayed because the brain first has to
learn understanding signals in this way.
