Spark

How to "see" with your tongue

In 2008, Jose Neto was blinded by a stray bullet. In 2011, he became one of the first Canadians to use a device called the Brainport.

In 2008, Jose Neto was blinded by a stray bullet. In 2011, he became one of the first Canadians to use a device called the Brainport, which translates visual information into electrical impulses on the tongue

"There's nothing like seeing. It's a different experience. It's like having a camera screen on your tongue... but instead of pixels, you have electrodes that will shock you." Jose Neto

In this segment, we hear what it was like for Jose to use the Brainport for the first time. We also take a trip to a Brainport training centre, where Sarah Ballantyne shows Nora Young how the device works.

"It's not as scary as it sounds. It really does feel like champagne bubbles, or fizzy pop, or the Pop Rocks candy." Sarah Ballantyne, a Brainport trainer with Wicab

The BrainPort V100. (Wicab)

After we hear from Jose and Sarah, Nora talks to philosopher of perception Fiona Macpherson about the Brainport.