RE: Enhanced Senses

Billy Brown (bbrown@conemsco.com)
Thu, 20 May 1999 09:43:46 -0500

Karsten Bänder wrote:
> I don't think you'll need to process the data into the current spectrum..
> Don't underestimate the capabilities of your brain - as you said, training
> your senses helps a lot, but also, the brain changes and evolves. The more
> you stress it, the better it gets. If you replace your natural eye with a
> cyberware eye which has enhanced abilities like low-lite and infrared, the
> brain will learn to process the new abilities. The same would be true for
an
> ear. Replace the ear with one of greater functionality and your brain will
> learn to use them.

If you do it right, you might be able to re-train your brain to process data from a frequency-shifted sensor (and IR camera, or an ultrasound sensor). You might even be able to adapt to a relatively alien sense, if it is reformatted to be similar to a sense you already have (sonar vision, for example). What you can't do is process this data *in addition to* your normal sensory input.

You only have so many neurons, and each neuron can only do so much work. Advanced sensors can easily increase the amount of raw sensory data flowing into your brain by many, many orders of magnitude. The only way to cope with the increased flow of data is an equally large increase in raw processing power, in the form of genetically engineered "super neurons", implant computers, datalinks to external computing devices, or some other physical modification.

Billy Brown, MCSE+I
bbrown@conemsco.com