Comment Re:How is this different from holding a Compass? (Score 1) 289
I see your basic point but I mostly disagree for you. If you were simply to strap the device on for a few minutes or hours and play with it then I would agree completely with your assessment. However, if the subject were to continue to wear the device day after day for a longer period of time (weeks?) then would there be a point where the subject is essentially no longer aware of the device but still aware of the sensory information. In other words the "prosthetic" may be come one with the person. The article seems to allude to this happening. At the point were this happens I would say that the device could be considered a new sense.
Sure the device is using an established channel for transmitting its information but the information itself is not related to the channel being used (sense of touch in this case). At what point would the brain rewire itself to essentially consider the new input (a compass in this case) a new sense and direct wire it (sense to reaction) rather then simply translate a "touch" in a certain spot to mean "North." What would be even more interesting is the affects of removing the device after (if) the brain accepted it and used it as a new sense. What sort of "loss" or disorientation would the person experience.
With a hand held compass or a dash mounted GPS I would argue that you are not designating continuous attention to it and therefore it continues to be an external reference. Much like looking at your TV everyday would not make you feel like the TV is part of you and the information coming in is processed as a sense. With a strapped on device or some similar prosthetic continually providing input I would think that your brain would continually process the information (read as 'pay attention to it') and therefore eventually internalize the device. Of course the counter argument to this is the bulge of my wallet poking me in the backside as I sit at my desk all day. To my knowledge my wallet has not become a part of my personae yet (if that is the right word).
[I'm posting this anyway but wtf is up with the removing empty lines in POT postings in the preview???]