What is it about?
Some species are capable of thermal vision by seeing into the infrared range. We created a method and training program that allows humans to "see" thermal information using sensory substitution - converting thermal images into sound. This method of substituting vision with sound has been proven in the past to create vision-like experiences using sound, even in the blind. Building on this, we aim to enable a truly extended visual experience by adding another layer to visual perception, going beyond the use of thermal camera displays.
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Photo by Nastia Petruk on Unsplash
Why is it important?
We show that people can perceive invisible thermal information when it is converted into sound through sensory substitution. This demonstrates the potential to extend human abilities beyond what our senses normally allow. Adding thermal ‘vision’ without masking normal sight, opens up new possibilities for diverse applications, from prosthetics and safety tools to immersive VR and industries ranging from chefs and firefighters to electricians and beyond.
Perspectives
We are excited about this work as it explores the possibility of gaining a truly extended sense and perception of the world. Beyond the practical applications, how we perceive the world doesn’t just shape how we live in it, it creates our reality. We hope the work in this field, challenging the limits of our perception, could help shape our reality by uncovering parts of our world that are hidden to us.
Iddo Wald
Universitat Bremen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: ThermalSense: A Sensory Substitution System for Enabling Perception of Thermal Information, Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, June 2025, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3733048.
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