The Context - Artificial Human Sensors: Science and Applications - page 34

2.1.1 The View of Artificial Sensing and Perception
The human perception can be viewed as a complex process, refined and devel-
oped since generations back, and exhibits several mechanisms for optimising the
perceptual abilities to correspond to the expected needs. An example of informa-
tion reduction is the handling procedure to manage the huge information flow that
the brain continuously receives from different sensing systems. The ability to deal
with a filter that make us aware of only the information we pay attention to and
may have use of, is of importance for not overloading the perception process. That
is, sensing information that we capture as an attention is evaluated with earlier
experience and knowledge, but all other information is recalled as passive atten-
tion, and may pass the situational scene without having any impact on that specific
information.
We may define two modes of perception, a passive and an active process,
where a definition is made, as follows:
- The passive perception process refers to a passive attitude of an individual's
behaviour, making no deliberate action or use of the continuously received sens-
ing information.
- The active perception process refers to an active attitude of an individual's
behaviour, making focussed and intentional actions and interacting with the
outside world.
Actually, we make use and are attentionally aware of only a fraction of the
incoming information that we constantly receive through our sensing mechanisms
as information. In Goldstein (2006), the inattentional blindness is defined, where
an article by a perceptual sensation that is not attended to is not perceived, even
though a person is looking directly at that object. According to Norretranders
(1998), we only actively process about 1% of the total incoming data.
The use of different sensing mechanisms, i.e., olfaction, vision, tactile, gusta-
tory and auditory, interact and the received data are fused to a complete sensation.
However, the influence of each sense is more differentiated and exhibits more im-
portance to the human perception. As an example, vision is considered to domi-
nate the human perception and figures of upto 90% of the total perceptual input
has been recognised in the literature, Norrestranders (1998). Also, the relationship
between different co-ordinating sensing processes differs, for example when tast-
ing food, the flavour sensation collected from smell and taste are considered to be
based on sensing information, mainly from the olfaction system, as much as up to
80%, Bear (1996).
It is indicated that people with sensing disabilities develop increased capabil-
ity on the other senses, i.e. when they loose performance in one or more senses.
Berlucci (2004), shows in a study that there is a new focus on the remaining sensing
systems, performed by the brain in order to direct the information recourses from
the lost sense towards other senses. In this study, a dissociation between taste and
tactile extinction could be observed after a brain damage.
Individuals who are suffer from multiple sensing loss, e.g., a deaf-blind person
or persons with similar experience by exhibiting deficiencies, can be compensated