Black box analysis of the skin senses as a multiple communication channel.
The skin senses have been investigated as a multichannel parallel information system. In psychophysical experiments using two cold two warmth and two vibration stimuli the capability of these senses have been determined for transmitting independent parallel information. A black box model is used to describe interactions within the system between pairs of signals causing two different response components in a multiple response after multimodal activation. The theory distinguishes two kinds of interaction, those between internal noise sources and between internal signal sources. It appears that the skin senses show only a very small interaction of their respective noise sources whereas their signal sources interact extensively. The repercussions for the skin as a parallel information transmitter is discussed shortly in the context of a development of an optimum "skin vision" system, which should project an environment onto the skin, employing both the sense of touch and the sense of temperature.
Eijkman
E G
EG
Laboratory Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
D003080:Cold Temperature; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D014732:Vibration