Lecture

Technological Research Project: Digital Fingertip

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In course

HUM-428: Science, technology and environment I

The aim of the course is to acquire the concepts and methods of Science and Technology Studies in order to learn how to decode the interweaving of science and technology in society by applying these elements to the general issues of innovation. ...

Description

This lecture explores the analysis of sociotechnical networks using the example of a technological research project, the digital fingertip. It delves into the industrial importance of natural versus artificial products, the challenges faced by industries in differentiating between them, and the development of a solution to measure the sensation of naturalness or artificiality. The lecture also discusses the collaboration between various research laboratories, the translation of the naturalness problem into a research project, and the emergence of a multidisciplinary network focusing on human perception. It concludes with the development of a digital fingertip sensor to distinguish between natural and synthetic surfaces, with potential applications in product development, fraud detection, and improving well-being and productivity.

Instructor

Dominique Vinck

Official source

Related concepts (20)

Perception

Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system, which in turn result from physical or chemical stimulation of the sensory system. Vision involves light striking the retina of the eye; smell is mediated by odor molecules; and hearing involves pressure waves.

New product development

In business and engineering, product development or new product development (PD or NPD) covers the complete process of bringing a new product to market, renewing an existing product or introducing a product in a new market. A central aspect of NPD is product design, along with various business considerations. New product development is described broadly as the transformation of a market opportunity into a product available for sale. The products developed by an organisation provide the means for it to generate income.

Sensory processing disorder

Sensory processing disorder (SPD, formerly known as sensory integration dysfunction) is a condition in which multisensory input is not adequately processed in order to provide appropriate responses to the demands of the environment. Sensory processing disorder is present in many people with dyspraxia, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Individuals with SPD may inadequately process visual, auditory, olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), tactile (touch), vestibular (balance), proprioception (body awareness), and interoception (internal body senses) sensory stimuli.

Sense

A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. Although in some cultures five human senses were traditionally identified as such (namely sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing), it is now recognized that there are many more. Senses used by non-human organisms are even greater in variety and number. During sensation, sense organs collect various stimuli (such as a sound or smell) for transduction, meaning transformation into a form that can be understood by the brain.

Time perception

The study of time perception or chronoception is a field within psychology, cognitive linguistics and neuroscience that refers to the subjective experience, or sense, of time, which is measured by someone's own perception of the duration of the indefinite and unfolding of events. The perceived time interval between two successive events is referred to as perceived duration. Though directly experiencing or understanding another person's perception of time is not possible, perception can be objectively studied and inferred through a number of scientific experiments.

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