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.
Laboratory Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
E G
EG
Eijkman
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