Synesthesia is the neurological phenomenon where stimulating one sense leads to triggering in another, think tasting sounds or seeing scents. In the context of nature, these experiences are viewed as abnormalities that rarely afford any evolutionary advantage, but As David Pescovitz writes in the latest issue of Good, learning how to control these alternative pathways could have profound implications. Individuals who are without one or more of their senses could  further heighten their existing perceptions of the world or those that have lost limbs could be given “feeling” in their prosthetic limbs.

Tapping into this capacity requires the design of intelligent, wearable technologies that could eventually develop into devices that are embedded into the body or beneath the skin, a leap that brings us closer to realizing the Kurzweilian future of Transhumanism.

Pescovitz explains his research at the Institute for the Future:

[M]y colleagues and I have spent the last few months exploring the notion that “everything is programmable,” or will be soon. The idea is that emerging technologies—from pervasive computers to synthetic biology—are making it possible to program our bodies and our worlds to desired specifications. Increasingly, we are looking at the entire world through a computational lens.

We’re already seeing the emergence of early entrants into this space from sweaters that correct a wearer’s posture to augmented reality applications that enable us to interface with our physical environments in entirely new ways. Pescovitz points to two projects happening within the area of “second sight” that push the possibilities even further. Wicab is working to create a vision prosthetic that converts images from a video camera into tactile responses while a researcher in Tel Aviv is exploring the ways that cells in plants respond to light as a bridge to building “seeing skin“.

While the early goal of this technology is the restoration of missing or undeveloped senses, in all likelihood, it will eventually spill over into the general populace in profound ways. Leading us to wonder if maybe the sixth sense just has been invented yet.

Good: Digital Synesthesia


[psfk]

The service was very easy for a consumer to use.

• First, they would simply find some colors in the real world that they thought would look good in sneakers, and take a photo of the colors with their phone.
• Then, using MMS, they would send the image to a special Nike number.
• The service would identify the two dominant colors in the image, match them with colors available from Nike, and generate a picture of a Nike sneaker in those colors
• Finally, the consumer would receive an image of their shoe superimposed on top of the original image they had sent.

The entire process, from the time the MMS was first sent, was usually a matter of seconds, making it a very interactive consumer experience.

Once the consumer had received the special image, they could save it to use as wallpaper, forward it on to a friend to see, or go to the NIKEiD website and enter a unique DESIGNiD code to actually purchase the specially designed shoe.


Visual Interactivity

This campaign is a very good example of visual interactivity, the idea of using the image capture and processing capabilities of a mobile phone as a means of consumer interaction. This growing area of mobile marketing includes 2-D codes (eg QR Codes), image recognition, image zoning, and augmented reality. (See MobiAD article Visual Interactivity: The Next Great Way To Engage Consumers).

Although the concept behind this campaign is quite simple - identify the dominant colors in a photo and match them to existing product colors - it is actually quite a technical challenge. Mobile phone cameras are not at all consistent in how they treat color, and effects from various light levels, shading, etc make it quite difficult to accurately pick out and match colors.

The power of this campaign was that it matched state of the art visual technology with an very easy to understand and use interface, and applied it to a strong consumer desire - the wish to more easily customize their lives.

NIKE PHOTOiD was rolled out in nine territories across Europe including; UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Here is a fun video that Nike used to promote the mobile service.

[mobiad]

Recruiting is planned to continue until July 12 and the trials will last from about mid-July to the end of August. Each trial will have 180 monitors.

The course designed by Kagami, which is based on an ancient astrological system, displays a message from the dominant planet at a given hour and emits a matching fragrance. The service supervised by Sasaki emits fragrances matched to the rhythm of daily life, such as waking , working and going to sleep.

NTT Com’s i-Aroma device enables individuals to enjoy premixed, professionally coordinated fragrances together with Web-based content distribution services. The device operates with dedicated software for the Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems. Six base oils loaded in the device are mixed and vaporized-without using water or flame-to create specific fragrances according to commands transmitted from the PC via USB cable.

Users can also use the i-Aroma to store favorite fragrances and then dispense them using a remote controller when the device is disconnected from the PC.

To apply for either trial, please visit (Japanese only) www.i-aroma.jp/kagamiryuji or

www.i-aroma.jp/seikatsunoki.

NTT Com is actively working on commercial opportunities for its Fragrance Communication service model. Services combining fragrances with Web-distributed content related to astrology, movies, music and background videos have been developed for Internet cafes, hotels, movie theaters and stores. The relaxing and refreshing effects of fragrances combined with other types of media are also being developed and tested in trials. NTT Com launched a commercial service combining digital signage and Fragrance Communication in August 2008.

NTT Communications provides a broad range of global networks, management solutions and IT services to customers worldwide. The company is renowned for reliable, high-quality security, hosting, voice, data and IP services, as well as expertise in managed networks and leadership in IPv6 transit technology. NTT Communications’ extensive infrastructure includes Arcstar™ Global IP-VPN and Global e-VLAN, as well as a Tier-1 IP backbone reaching more than 150 countries in partnership with major Internet service providers, and secure data centers in Asia, North America and Europe. NTT Communications is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one of the world’s largest telecoms with listings on the Tokyo, London and New York stock exchanges. Please visit www.ntt.com/index-e.html.

 TRENDBIRD Exclusive !

Clothes shopping may be a source of joy for many women, but the same is rarely true for men; in fact, many men would rather do just about anything else. With that in mind, the Trunk Club now offers men the services of a personal shopper from the convenience of their own office or home.

Based in Oregon, the Trunk Club assigns each of its clients a personal clothing expert to recommend, find and deliver clothing and accessories that complement their own personal style. Men begin by filling out an application for a free membership on the site. They then have a 15-minute or so introductory, webcam-enabled session from home or office with their personal shopper, who then sends out an initial shipment of name-brand clothes. Customers pay just retail price for the clothes they decide to keep—no minimum purchase is required—and the Trunk Club covers shipping both ways. After that clients can connect with their shopper as often as they want in person or via the company's Skype-based webcam platform—no visits to retail stores are ever required. The Trunk Club's personal shoppers work on commission, according to TechCrunch; the company's revenue derives from retail markups on clothes bought from partner manufacturers at wholesale prices, with no minimum inventory required.

The Trunk Club officially launched just two weeks ago, and it's currently looking for entrepreneurs who can work virtually on its behalf with members around the world. One to get in on early...?

[springwise]