Neil Harbisson: I listen to color

www.ted.com Artist Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind, but these days a device attached to his head turns color into audible frequencies. Instead of seeing a world in grayscale, Harbisson can hear a symphony of color -- and yes, even listen to faces and paintings.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/translate
If you have questions or comments about this or other TED videos, please go to support.ted.com

[@zuntedgaming5522]

I wanna see this guy solve a cube

[@egeoeris]

Nah, he'll do it matching by sounds. I want him watch a fast cube solvers and say if it sounds bad for ears or it' sounds quite brilliant.

[@fabts4]

Now I wonder how it sounds like.

[@sebastiansrensen8103]

😂

[@MrHorror1971]

I wanna see this guys job interviews.?

[@romanCRV]

Does no one else think this is a kind of incredible? Am I the only person who cares about the fact that we now have technology which means that you can completely change the way in which you feel the world by implanting something completely unnatural directly into your brain? I know he's not the first person to get implants like this, but whatever you think of the final result, the fact that this is even possible is amazing. It has huge implications for the future of humanity. But no, by all means just sneer at him for self-indulgence. Because it's more interesting to make fun of someone than actually think about this.

[@karasuchrono]

I love the idea of listening to colours. It's always fascinating when I learn about people who have embraced an alternate way of viewing or experiencing the world that isn't at all common.

[@karasuchrono]

I especially like the idea of perceiving outside of the visible light spectrum.

[@32s]

@@karasuchrono he’s not really hearing the color he’s hearing the light that’s coming through it

[@nutofwisdom791]

@@32s thats like saying "hes not dead his heart just stopped"

[@greego5952]

@@32s it's a colour sensor not a light sensor.

[@MisterInsomaniac]

I wonder what color does he say the dress is

[@PanchocoloMan]

maybe beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee boooooooooooooooooooooooooobeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee pipipipipippipipi beeeeeeeeeeeee

[@Cluetube]

SmoOker I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!!!!!

[@ianmathwiz7]

SmoOker You know the hourly pips on BBC radio? He says that the dress sounds like those.

[@lorenaturic1045]

NO

[@JosephineDeSmet]

probably yanny

[@LilylilyBangbang]

He's so crazily passionate about this and it's amazing. Just listening to him speak it's so intriguing.

[@SpicyMang0s]

true

[@MrHorror1971]

Another lunatic

[@johnhariis250]

@Ra who? 🤔

[@welcometoreality437]

@@johnhariis250 That guy, bionics is the future.

[@aguadoll8162]

@@MrHorror1971 we need less people like you in this world :)

[@24soshi]

"Before I used to dress in a way that it look good now I dress in a way that it sounds good." xD

[@eijirokirishima6524]

fammm 8 years backk

[@jeravogel]

I don't actually have anything to say; I'm just here to remind you of this really old comment

[@NamChin846]

koreaboo spotted~

[@spacecatghostboi776]

Ah yes, a decade old comment

[@eraezzy7564]

His eyes are so full of life

[@TheValkyrie0]

I really admire him. His sense of humor is exceptionally good.

[@wushish]

I grew more and more amazed as he progressed through the speech. It was amazing to watch as something that started off as a novel idea grow into something so incredible. It's kind of like a simulated synesthesia but one that actually extends our senses. Truly one of the best TED talks.

[@eijirokirishima6524]

8 years? (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ (ó﹏ò｡) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ) ༼ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ༽ ( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

[@JoaoVitor-fh5wq]

Imagine this dude on psychedelics

[@xxxzombiekillerxxx6079]

Get him to do a breakthrough trip on DMT STAT

[@roskoer5218]

He’s not on psychedelics?

[@MussO__]

He’d solve life with his antenna and mushrooms

[@That_Paperbag]

^ this

[@KGdaArtist]

Finally, somebody else who hears color. As an painter, it's hard to explain that to people. His is definitely on a different level since he's color blind. Being around people or in a place that is too loud is like being in a room that is too bright. I hope I get to meet him one day in my little ol' life.

[@OneTequilaTwoTequila]

Sure, buddy! Keep thinking that!

[@TrippaMazing87]

@@OneTequilaTwoTequila I don’t understand you

[@franciscog5140]

No, you can’t hear color, figuratively maybe, but you couldn’t hear color how this man can, he can literally hear colors. I don’t know why you making it sound weird

[@persephonekajira7269]

@@TrippaMazing87 CK is correctly calling the OP full of 💩 Understand?

[@gl_eo]

@@persephonekajira7269 i mean he could have synesthesia or something

[@mihaipopescu22]

6:59 dude to the right of the screen is sleeping.

[@manmohanmahapatra7956]

+Mihai Popescu coz at that he was speaking about Justin Beiber -_-

[@SpicyMang0s]

+Manmohan Mahapatra stfu with the Justin beiber jokes damn

[@SonicStalker123]

Mihai HA

[@NanaYawAforo]

+ironic justin beiber still sucks

[@qwakyyy]

@@NanaYawAforo He used to be

[@NuevoVR]

ive been looking into this. have always been interested in transhumanism/biohacking/cyborgism. this guy is remarkable. from a first glance he just looks like a hipster trying to be unique, but then when you listen to what he has to say it really makes sense. he percieves reality totally differently than we do. i think using technology to improve the human body is amazing.

[@rodovre]

There is a painter artist who makes some rather convincing paintings out of music. He assigns the musical intervals to a colour that 'looks' as the interval sounds. E.g. a pure warm fifth gets red, a stringent 9th magenta, a third yellow etc. I have seen Bach's WTC painted that way. It looks surprisingly good.

[@bluebeeboo]

Do you happen to know/remember their name or works?

[@x1plus1x]

This guy can hear infra-red. He can perceive heat, like the pit viper. That's so awesome.

[@drsparky]

Why are commenting like Gen z?

[@user-js4cs9cm9k]

This is my best TED talk since 10 years ago and the reason I started watching this channel. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I'm impressed again.

[@RoswellNight]

This is the most amazing TED talk I've ever seen.

[@Nx-dp1eu]

this is the first TED talk i've listen

[@dragneaannabella5740]

It does need more recognition

[@manojkumar-zm9sr]

how can he take a shower ...........

[@thaakeno5187]

I think it's waterproof lol

[@noahmccoy8074]

Shower cap my guy

[@maxxime4138]

waterproof

[@loganwillett2347]

Angie Vergara he’s referring to having an electric antenna in water not his colorblind trait

[@johnhariis250]

Shower by touch 🤔

[@domingojones4557]

That is incredible that he can hear light waves we can’t even see

[@TheGravityShifter]

Yeah because the device is actually a light-to-sound converter. Since color is light, all it needs to do is convert that into soundwaves and send it to his brain. And then when he hears music, he's pretty much just matching the tones to the tones of color he hears daily. Like one specific piano key makes the same tone as a shade of blue.

[@kgbstudio]

he could have done this without putting the device in him though , so ....

[@tonycenteno7272]

I saw this ted talk right away move my feeling into tears of joy I could content myself when I hear a music note for each color. I am not a musician but as an art student I asked myself how each note will sound for each color? This video explained to me like not other person could. In color theory we talk about the complementary color, which are the opposite colors in the color wheel. As I see (7:08) MLK Jr and Hitler color mix my eyes fill with tears and it took my breath away. You can see the same colors but in different arrangement, which is an example what opposites are.

[@Works42]

When he showed the speeches, my first thought was I have a dream.

[@the_afish2334]

same !!!!!

[@PrettyPinkPeacock]

This is cool, it's like induced synesthesia...very cool, and sci-fi ^_^ But not exactly the same as colour.

[@AuroraBorealis1990]

+PrettyPinkPeacock Why is it not the same as colour? Colour is just light at different wave lengths. Whether you perceive these wave lengths by eye or by ear doesn't matter. It's still light.

[@PrettyPinkPeacock]

Akopalypse i know a little more about how people percieve synthesthetic colours now, and yes, some people see a projection of the colour onto reality, whereas others have an association. If Neil projects (it depends on how your brain is wired) then yes, he's *really* "seeing" colour, but either way, it doesn't really matter to me.

[@iexist1738]

I have synesthesia. I don’t have much association with cords as much as instruments. A violin sounds purple for example.

[@eijirokirishima6524]

fammmm 8 years agooo (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ (ó﹏ò｡) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ) ༼ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ༽ ( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

[@rimmarji]

oh my god, the video is a great inspiration , every single word can be taken as a great quote, one of my favorite Ted videos so far ... "Where a device, is no longer a device, it had become an extension of my senses"

[@iexist1738]

“This is the sound of a dirty sock”

[@miou2192]

today , i am Dressed in c major

[@How19.]

this was 10 years ago. imagine what we can do NOW.

[@joardermdshahriartanjim1077]

"I can listen to Picasso." That's a different level of experiencing art.

[@QuarterlifeCry6]

i love his choice in clothing, pure irony

[@GraemeWilliams21]

that's not irony

[@lucascapelao]

you need to stop seeing clothes and hearing yourself talk. that doesnt make sense

[@maxxgallo]

Lolllll

[@videogamenerd6558]

"this is the sound of grass" made me laugh my socks off

[@celestialarcher9268]

Probably the best TED talk I’ve ever seen. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t like TED talks.

[@user-sp1mu8wy3k]

I didn't think about the problems of people with monochromacy before I watched this video. It really scares me. The fact that people have to live with this disease is truly terrible. Neil Harbisson has come up with a truly unique way to solve this problem. To transmit the perception of colors using sound directly into the bone is a very bold decision. Many will say that these sounds are terrible, but for people with monochromasia, these sounds determine the perception of the world. I really admire Neil, his struggle with his illness. My only wish is that there are fewer chronically ill people in the world, and those who were unlucky enough to be born with the disease, fought it to the end and helped others, just like Neil.

[@user-jg6fo1te6v]

ава ава автф

[@VCSandARM]

Fascinating! Great way to deal with a disease. It would be interesting to install this device on someone who has seen color. He was awesomely dressed too!

[@drsparky]

Are you alive?

[@gabrielgarayb1972]

I believe that each person has a different sound in their mind for each color, and moreover, the colors are derived in infinite tonalities that it is really a divine act to try to conceptualize "literally" a single color.

[@nikaelacomizio4542]

this is so important

[@mayankramchandani1640]

Simply amazed.

[@SagarRT]

such a passionate human, inspiring.

[@joannjaison317]

How do you even lay down, isn't that uncomfortable?

[@jalal1392]

tho it might be a great experience, I don't wanna look like a teletubby

[@jalal1392]

+Mike Litoris i'm afraid that's exactly the reason why. I don't want to look like a teletubby all my life

[@jalal1392]

+Mike Litoris I actually do.

[@jalal1392]

+Mike Litoris technically speaking, it is.

[@jalal1392]

+Mike Litoris do you even realize that i've been trolling you

[@jalal1392]

I don't need a comeback, I am serious!

[@nadininuwanthika2525]

Best TED ever..... I can inspire from you.

[@fiercefunky]

What a whimsical little chap.

[@tylerasmith52]

one of the best ted talks. Related to human experience/perception, strong scientific/technological background, entertaining and for a good cause with his foundation. WOW

[@Vickjordison]

Incrível, que mais pessoas possam pensar assim como ele!

[@Brinean]

Absolutely incredible!

[@BielGava]

That’s so amazing!!!!

[@UhClaire]

for a man who can't see colours his fashion sense is amazing.

[@rEMiXCoD2n4]

its just like the beginning of ghost in the shell and matrix... and ppl dont even realize how bad it goes

[@rohinikumar7972]

I love this guy and I love his passion. Would love to have him for a hommie

[@cristinaalvear408]

It was interesting for me. About how his perception of color has changed since he use technology and start hearing colors, we can imagine how could it be. It's amazing how he use this for himself, as a new way of seeing the world and enjoying it. I love that he share his experiences and talk about how this technology has opened a new door.

[@Aziexbrah]

full respect, i really appriciate people like you, who don't give up. continue dreaming and keep making your dreams come true!

[@WatchLearnSee]

Natalie Douglas *You're. Go away.

[@WatchLearnSee]

Natalie Douglas No, you go away

[@WatchLearnSee]

Natalie Douglas What's with the asian face at the end of every sentence?

[@WatchLearnSee]

Do you really work at McDonalds?

[@WatchLearnSee]

Natalie Douglas No idea what that means. Taking a music-related course at Berkeley?

[@emilymadison4101]

It's almost like an induced form of Synethsia. I have a mild form of the condition myself, I associate pieces of music and certain note sequences to color. His is like the opposite except he has not color input and the music notes are the colors.

[@iexist1738]

Same. I have multiple types. Grapheme color (numbers, letters, days of the week, months, words to colors), sound to color, auras (people to color), shapes to color. Auras sound confusing but my teacher is very green if that explains anything. A violin in purple. An oval is also purple. Monday is red. A is also red. 5 is blue. Class sounds yellow. I remember telling my brother before I knew I had synesthesia that a song was too green for my taste. Now I like green/yellow songs. And being upset because there was no red notebook at Target for math class. I’d color code everything.

[@tykenminator]

Love your work man. You are incredible.

[@ismailyavan5561]

Mois aussi j'adore son travail je le félicite

[@LolitaLaure]

Amazing ! So Inspiring !

[@Adamantium9001]

*sees title* *reads comment* *sees haircut* *laughs hysterically*

[@awakenasleepsheep2861]

Ikr?! 😂😂😂😎

[@radiodemon3191]

I don’t know why I’m laughing but i can’t stop

[@eijirokirishima6524]

8 years ago-- (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ (ó﹏ò｡) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ) ༼ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ༽ ( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

[@4shadow2]

@@eijirokirishima6524 i remember having a keyboard on my phone that had those 😂😂😂

[@jantaylor6888]

Thanks for extending your field of perception for all of us. What a gift!

[@biancaromeromedina2645]

Cuando vi el titulo del video, se me hacía algo raro, pero cuanto más hablaba de la percepción de cada color a través de ondas es realmente asombroso. Ir a diferentes lugares o conocer personas y que cada uno tengo un tipo de vibración diferente, es maravilloso.

[@Negridome]

Es increíble ver cómo también existen distintas perspectivas de poder ver las cosas que nos rodean. Como cambia la visión de uno si tiene nuevos implementos. El saber que existe otra manera de poder apreciar los colores y, a su vez, crear otra perspectiva de otras cosas como la voz, las facciones del rostro, la música, películas, etc. La discapacidad del señor Harbisson abrió una puerta a algo que se desconocía. El busco la manera de poder también apreciar los colores y lo logro, es más, logro extender esta capacidad y la transformó en una oportunidad para que otras personas también podamos ampliar nuestros sentidos básicos y buscar una nueva función para estos.

[@whozjordynn]

bruh this is an art assignment I have and this thing is hurting my head like im gonna ask can I have another assignment because I can't even go through the whole video without my head hurting

[@probablyparker4044]

So I'm colorblind (either deuteranomaly or protanomaly) but I can't imagine seeing in a grayscale. That's just crazy.

[@TheGravityShifter]

I think the best part about this imo is the fact he can detect UV and IR. UV detecting would so dang useful on days where I may be outside for an extended time. I wonder if I could one day get an implant to help me fight my Asperger's Syndrome and other mental setbacks. I'd love to have that...

[@jackystickydev]

This is whole new path for me. My needs tech are completing. I hope I can make my life's work came true. This is the mile Stone in my mindset. Thanks for your serve !

[@zackerpelding6063]

@7:52 guy in the middle is dead asleep hahaha

[@Superstarfruit888]

Sounds like a kickstarter project waiting to happen, to me!

[@FearghalDuggan]

Absolutely incredible

[@VonKalnina]

This is quite scary actually but also very intriguing...

[@fanki1983]

if my house TV has poor reception can I ask him to come around for a bit?

[@Onimirare]

why?

[@commenting000]

@@Onimirare Because the robot dildo protruding from his head would make for a great electromagnetic signal booster.

[@mattthedestroyer2804]

Can't sense a good hairstyle though

[@noemirios7902]

I think his hairstyling abilities are hindered by his antenna

[@sandjvj911]

i like his hairstyle it suits him

[@bartuhkiss]

I didn't know this was from years ago until I read the comments. *mind-blowing*

[@pierinatoa9750]

El video me pareció muy interesante aunque al principio pensaba que no lo iba a entender ya que no entiendo muchos estos temas pero según pasa el discurso me sorprende mas ya que es increíble ver como algo que comenzó con una idea se convirtió en algo tan novedoso lo que mas me llama la atención personalmente ya que nunca me había puesto a pensar en las personas con daltonismo hasta ahora y como estas personas han tenido que lidiar con este problema como la idea de NEIL Harbison a este problema es verdaderamente única: transmite la percepción del color directamente al esqueleto a través del sonido por medio de la tecnología

[@kittykatBflat]

So anyone can memorize the tone and know what colour is I don’t get what is incredible about this.

[@iexist1738]

That’s what I was thinking. I mean he doesn’t actually see color. He just associates it. But some people are saying it’s induced synesthesia so I guess if you look at it in that way, yeah I guess its pretty cool. But I don’t know what it’s like not to have synesthesia. It’s normal and life is still life. Doesn’t change anything except what colors I pick.

[@keyjr2]

To eat Bjork.. my goodness. I love this.

[@sdwjx]

i just admire his attitude towards life.

[@fiorefernandez1007]

Me parece muy increíble y un poco complicado creerlo pero al ver a Neil Harbisson como un artista cíborg, el cual amplía sus percepciones al permitirle "escuchar" colores. Nos permite obtener un enfoque tecnológico sobre una perspectiva única acerca de la integración de dispositivos sensoriales para mejorar diversas experiencias perceptuales humanas, abriendo cada vez nuevas posibilidades en la interfaz entre tecnología y neurociencia.

[@egeoeris]

I only wish he could make a better desgin for the sensor over years. Idk he can make it something cool like Google Glass or a headband. I can't unsee the colored version of that sea monster in Finding Nemo >.>

[@basswarnow]

The guy at 6:59 must have had a hard day.

[@aishcsm]

Inspiring and BRILLIANT!

[@vicentepazmino7151]

Muy agradecido por este video, cada dia se aprende algo nuevo y muy importante como él pudo convertir su discapacidad, en una forma de apreciar las cosas.

[@Keepsaphe]

I'm so very intrigued :) What happens if his hearing deteriorates? Transposing might be a massive problem, i'd think! I love this whole new look at perceptions and the plasticity of the human brain - truly amazing!

[@dodoismus369]

Nothing. He senses it through bone conduction, not through ears.

[@mesrthemonster]

interesting video! loved it!!!

[@mmonicatorress]

No consideré los desafíos que enfrentan las personas con acromatopsia hasta que vi este video. Me resulta inquietante descubrir que hay quienes tienen que convivir con esta condición. La manera de Neil Harbisson para abordar este problema es realmente única, transmitir la percepción de los colores a través del sonido directamente al hueso. Me parece fantastico que se pueda oír colores. Admiro sinceramente la valentía de Neil al enfrentar su propia enfermedad y más que todo de ver la solución a su condición para tener el color en su vida gracias a la tecnología!

[@Riften3]

Awesone one. I loved it.

[@TheSPEEZY99]

electronic eye... just say third eye lol

[@jahaddyjael1926]

it's not nor will it ever be a third eye

[@MattMGK]

+JaHaddy Jael I mean you're not wrong, one exists...

[@Howskii]

TheSPEEZY99 Because it's not

[@carrotsandcucumbers8214]

Third eyes are known for their work on reading people's minds, but his third eye is for reading colors and turning objects into colors

[@Jotto999]

When I saw this in my inbox: "Oh, some synaesthete is going to talk about their condition. Ho hum." After watching it: "WAAA OMG OMG I want to hear colors!"

[@eijirokirishima6524]

FAMMMMMMMMM 8 YEARS AGOOOOOO RESPONDDDDDDDD (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ (ó﹏ò｡) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ) ༼ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ༽ ( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

[@andreavergara6165]

El video es muy interesante, me encanta la idea de escuchar los colores. Siempre es fascinante conocer a personas que han adoptado una forma alternativa de ver o experimentar el mundo que no es muy común.

[@andrescalva9278]

Se observa a una persona determinada y con una gran confianza en sí mismo para lograr hacer lo que él no puede ver, sin duda alguna el único límite que existe entre lo "imposible" y nosotros somos uno mismo. Esta charla fue de gran motivación.

[@OmnicideX]

i saw his clothing and it made me deaf...

[@RodneyBass74]

is this real?my skeptic senses are tingling

[@naurunappula1]

yup

[@rocksaltzwidaz3411]

It works just like a camera

[@V_Rosez]

RodneyBass74. ... Im also a skeptic.

[@iexist1738]

The camera detects a color and does a frequency. He got induced associative synesthesia. He doesn’t literally see the color he just knows which color it is. With me I just know a violin is purple but I don’t see purple when I listen to a violin. That’s what this guy got.

[@4shadow2]

Even tho this is a 7yr old comment i doubt this guy would go this far to fake it all 😭 hes literally got a passport with that on and old black n white pics

[@camilaruizpatino1660]

Me parece fascinante la manera en la que Neil, encontró una solución a su diagnóstico. Ver la manera en la que este dispositivo toma el lugar o cumple el papel del fasciculo longitudinal inferior permitiéndole reconocer por medio del sonido de las frecuencias cada color y de esa manera poder relacionar cada frecuencia con cada color.

[@jabekens]

Neil Harbisson is AWESOME.

[@troyt6532]

I’m not racist, some people just sound bad.

[@adamoore8073]

he may be able to hear color but I can hear his tongue hitting the roof of his mouth get the guy some damn water

[@anobodyfromnowhere8427]

Dong Inhaler damn that's disturbing

[@Arghira]

Amazing....This should be incorporated in the SixthSense technology...in this way you can point at something and you hear the color....

[@Honker66]

Fascinating ideas!

[@Alexthesanyi]

The device looks like something someone created in the 1970s

[@educassiano]

insane enough for me.

[@rodovre]

In music, it is the INTERVALS between notes, not the absolute frequency, that correspond to colours.

[@nicolelucas4053]

Que charla motivadora que inspira a la gente que no hay límites ni discapacidad para ser capaces de ver y sentir la vida de una nueva perspectiva, me pareció muy interesante cuando comparo diversos discurso de personas conocidas y ver la diferencia de colores ante la comparación del otro.

[@testtester8492]

I wonder what he hears when he goes to a concert?

[@eijirokirishima6524]

man your the newest comment ive seen (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ (ó﹏ò｡) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ) ༼ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ༽ ( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

[@salvatoreshiggerino6810]

How does he know what part of his field of view he's listening to?

[@gonzalo_rosae]

with practice he probably has found out

[@camilabriones1513]

I had never thought about the problems people with color blindness face until I saw this video. I am concerned that some people have to endure this condition. Neil Harbison's solution to this problem is truly unique: he transmits color perception directly to the skeleton through sound. I think it's cool that you can hear the colors. I really admire Neil's courage in facing his illness and, most importantly, seeing his condition resolved and his life enriched by technology!

[@Ahinorah94]

Fascinating!

[@MIKEHUNT7531]

Lmaooo dude at 6:59 Passed out

[@UpasanaDeka]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@gohan4813]

has anyone else noticed that he is dressed in CMYK colors?

[@JaneDoe-zc2zn]

Love this one! Really interesting to think of what sounds are the same color and why. What does blood red sound like? What songs are sanguine? Ultraviolet? Teal? White? Grey? Dull(ish) neon yellow? Dull(ish) neon lime green? Lime green? Violet? Indigo? Black? Do I tend to like black music?

[@sammacdonell6288]

The intro into the concept of translating colour into sound is very entertainint initially but I find it very difficult to actually picture how it works in practice. Not that I don't believe it can't be done, but to actually imagine experiencing it is wild. The point he made about going to a funeral in turquoise is super weird to think of from his perspective. His range of experiencing "colour" is limited to the range of his sensor, but if you took the concept and assumed he can interact with the same range as his sight, funerals would actually be a super odd experience since we tie emotions to colours. Depending on the "sound" of black, he could potentially experience it in a positive way, or happy way, while still experiencing mourning. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you, but I think that's the really interesting part. Without the device, his inability to experience colour but still see the contrast, would have probably put him at more of an advantage to relate to those around him, than the added ability to interpret colour through sound. Super fascinating as there's probably the potential for him to alienate himself from typical human interaction with the world. But given the opportunity, would you accept the option to give to experience a sense, given you have a perceived disability in that sense? Most would, but you would most definitely venture down a specifically unique path of giving your brain stimulation to interpret the world. We wonder whether we will be able to understand aliens when/if ever we make contact. This talk gave a unique look into what, conceptually, that communication barrier has the potential for. EDIT: I should add that in our world, the rest of humanities interactions with colour, would help him relate his experience with using sound to "hear" colours. So that would help ground his experience with colour, with the rest of humanit. Conceptually, still super fascinating.