Essay · One
Each bar is the full extent of a signal that surrounds you. The lit slice is the part your unassisted body can register. Ticks are companies pushing beyond it.
Humans see a narrow band between ultraviolet and infrared.
CIE 1931 standard observer.Electromagnetic spectrumVisible light, 380–750 nm
Infrasound and ultrasound surround us, unheard.
ISO 226:2003 equal-loudness contours.Acoustic frequency, 1 Hz – 1 MHz20 Hz – 20 kHz
Dogs and machines parse chemistry we cannot.
Bushdid et al., 2014; Niimura, 2009.Estimated distinguishable volatile compounds≈400 active olfactory receptors
Taste is a coarse vote on chemistry.
Chandrashekar et al., 2006.Chemical space — sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami, fatFive to six recognized qualities
Skin is a low-bandwidth display we barely write to.
Johansson & Flanagan, 2009.Pressure, vibration, temperature, painMechanoreceptor envelope, 0.4–500 Hz
We feel our body roughly; sensors measure it precisely.
Proske & Gandevia, 2012.Body state — position, motion, balance, internal loadVestibular + muscle spindle signals