2026-09-19T19:52:12Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1067422022-02-07T16:12:08Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Seth Mnookin.
Rutkin, Aviva Hope
Bach-y-Rita, Paul, 1934-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing
MIT Program in Writing & Humanistic Studies
2017-01-30T19:16:20Z
2017-01-30T19:16:20Z
2013
2013
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106742
969346392
Thesis: S.M. in Science Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 24-29).
Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita was a visionary neuroscientist and an early pioneer of the theory of neuroplasticity. He is the father of sensory substitution, a field which explores how one sensory modality can be transferred to another. This work culminated in the invention of the Brainport, a device that transmits information through electrodes on the tongue. Bach-y- Rita's company, Wicab, developed two versions of the Brainport. One uses visual information to reveal the sighted world to the blind; another uses body alignment information to help "wobblers" (individuals with vestibular conditions) navigate. The author received exclusive access to Bach-y-Rita's unpublished memoirs. These papers-supplemented by visits to Bach-y-Rita's home in Wisconsin and personal interviews with his family and colleagues-help tell the story of a revolutionary technology that failed to reach the public who needed it.
by Aviva Hope Rutkin.
S.M. in Science Writing
30 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Graduate Program in Science Writing.
Champagne for the Blind : Paul Bach-y-Rita, neuroscience's forgotten genius
Paul Bach-y-Rita, neuroscience's forgotten genius
Thesis
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Publication
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