Moon Ribas can feel earthquakes. Thanks to a small vibrating sensor embedded above her elbow, the Barcelona-based artist can immediately detect seismic activity - no matter where she is in the world. "I knew that, with technology, I could perceive movement in a deeper way," explains Ribas, 31. "It's a new sense."
This isn't the first time that Ribas - who describes herself as a cyborg - has changed her perceptions. Prior to her implant, she distorted her vision for three months using kaleidoscope glasses, and has worn earrings that vibrate depending on the speed of those moving behind her. From these projects, she creates sensory dance performances.
Ribas and her partner, avant-garde artist Neil Harbisson, 34, have now created a startup to spread their cause. Called Cyborg Nest, its first product, North Sense, is a $350 (£288) semi-permanent body implant that vibrates when you face north. The 6.5cm 2 silicon-coated attachment requires no internet connection and can be affixed to your skin with titanium anchors. It's removable, but in order for it to work, Ribas encourages constant use. "We can't turn our hearing off," says Ribas. "In order to modify your perception and brain, it needs to be on all the time."
Ribas will, however, be making some adaptations to her own implant. She's moving her earthquake sensor to her foot, and plans to alter its programming so that the vibration length corresponds to the earthquake's location. She has also launched Cyborg Futures, a 2017 event that will unite cyborgs with research scientists in the field to explore artistic collaboration. Next, she wants to create a cybernetic sense beyond Earth. "My next step is feeling seismic activity on the Moon," she says. Now that is shaking up the arts world.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
