Technology: Getting the Word by Skin

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The modern airplane pilot is assaulted by vital information. His cabin is lined with instruments competing for his eyes' attention; into his ears stream insistent voices and electronic signals. As if all this were not enough, the pilot may soon be expected to react to communications coming through his skin. Far from being an added distraction, says Psychology Professor Frank A. Geldard of Princeton's Cutaneous Communications Laboratory, skin signals sent out by small electrical vibrators buzzing at the rate of 60 cycles per second, will take some of the burden off the pilot's saturated eyes and ears. A ring of vibrators worn around his waist and buzzing in rapid sequence will fee! like a spinning Hula Hoop. The message would be an effective means of alerting a pilot to a particular danger.

The vibrators can work on almost any convenient part of the body. All who have used them agree that there is no difficulty in separating their skin-received messages from sight and hearing. Says Dr. Geldard: "It's like listening to your wife talk while reading the newspaper and while a child is pulling your foot."