In the realm of speculative design, few projects push the boundaries of human perception like Interface by Jose Chavarría. This groundbreaking initiative leverages advanced neuroscience and innovative design to augment human senses, offering a glimpse into experiences typically reserved for the animal kingdom.

Jose Chavarría is a Costa Rican artist and a professor at the Copenhagen Institute of Interactive Design (CIID). He explores the boundaries of visual perception, believing that we perceive only a part of what the world is. Interface delves into the nature of consciousness and reality, inspired by the theories of neuroscientists Björn Merker and Anil Seth. By recognizing that our perception of reality is a construct of the brain, Interface seeks to extend our sensory capabilities beyond their natural limits.

Animal-Inspired Sensory Masks

Chavarría’s project features masks that replicate the sensory abilities of three distinct animals:

Bats: Utilizing echolocation, these masks allow wearers to perceive distances through sound waves.
Pythons: Mimicking infrared sensing, these masks enable detection of heat emissions from living beings.
Sea Turtles: Inspired by geomagnetoception, these masks offer a sense of the Earth’s magnetic fields for navigation.

The innovative masks replace human senses with their non-human counterparts to ensure the brain fully integrates the new inputs. Through user testing, Chavarría discovered that pressure-based feedback via hydraulic silicon pads provided the most natural and seamless sensory experience. This method integrates the new sense into the body, creating a sensation akin to an internal heartbeat.

By redefining Mixed Reality to include “In-Depth Reality,” Interface proposes a future where technology enhances our ability to perceive previously hidden elements of our environment. This shift could revolutionize our understanding of the world and our place within it, offering profound implications for both personal experiences and broader societal insights.

Jose Chavarría’s Interface project demonstrates that we do not just passively perceive the world; we actively create it with our perception. By harnessing the sensory abilities of animals, this project not only challenges our understanding of reality but also opens new possibilities for experiencing the world in ways previously unimaginable. As we continue to explore the frontiers of sensory augmentation, Interface stands as a testament to the potential of design and neuroscience to expand the human experience.

For more information, visit the Core77 Design Awards project page.

Jose Chavarría website.