In 1977 I was awarded a patent for a device that induces visual hallucinations. While witnessing the recent U.S. Capitol Building riots I was reminded of that invention and how much the cultural gestalt has shifted.
Even into the early seventies, it was dangerous for a young man to sport a beard in some places. Just as now, the nation was polarized.
Picture that time, and a young beardo standing near a balustrade of the U.S. Capitol Building. He is wearing a mask that is wired to a hand-held box. The man is approached by a capitol policeman. The guard does not seem alarmed, merely curious.
I lower the mask and explain what it does. The officer puts on the mask, closes his eyes, and faces west towards the Washington Monument, where the sun is low in the sky. It is early spring. The air is cool and clear. The sun is an intense, almost fluorescent orange, which is critical to the optimal operation of this device.
The beardo carefully turns a knob on the control box. Gradually, through CLOSED EYES, the cop begins to see vibrantly colored, animated, geometric patterns within his visual cortex!
The guard is amazed and praises my invention, wandering off soon with a wave and no admonitions to stop using my machine.
What do you think would happen now, or even a few years ago, if I tried to repeat that experiment at the Capitol Building?
I hope to write more about this invention somewhere on Hive Blog. I also plan to discuss how the use of this hallucination machine has influenced my art.
- Elena Hamilton Demonstrating the Invention
- Page Two of the Patent
- A Polaroid Photo of one of the Machines
- A Photo of Two of the Masks--Front and Back
Article By Robert Wayne Hamilton 3/15/2021
Hi!! I think your device is ingenious !! I would like to know if you stimulate a specific brain areas or if the images are self-generating and the device read them.👌
Thank you for your interest and kind comments. Actually the device triggers a phenomenon called "phosphenes." I think that happens in the visual cortex. The rods and cones of the eye are actually a part of the brain; the phosphenes may also begin in the eye itself. In the first sentence of my post above, the word “patent” is highlighted. That is an active link to the patent itself on google patents. The second paragraph of the patent has a pretty good description of what "phosphenes" are. You can also look up the word on Wikipedia, however that source needs some rewrites.
The use of this device has strongly influenced my artwork and has increased my sensitivity to pareidolia <<Also an active link.
I think your device is awesome! I'm actually a student in Neuroscience and i'm interesting in that stuff. I actually see this phosphenes both in the presence of strong light and in the absence ,usually before to sleep and sometimes i modified them to create something i like. Which kind of waves do you create with your device??
It has been years since I researched all this; actually began writing a book on the subject, but then life made its demands! Anyway, the light pulses will induce a waveform that looks like an alpha wave. But it is only induced--like ripples in a pond. I have a theory that if the induced waves can be made to synchronize with innate ones, then something unique might occur. But that is just my own, unconfirmed idea.
As to the images you see when falling asleep or waking up, those are well-known psychological phenomena called, respectively, hypnogogic and hypnopopic imagery.
I, too, can play around with the hypnogogic images, though it’s difficult to stay awake long when doing that. It is sure fun though, isn’t it?
If you are interested, take peek at my online art gallery:
https://seedpress.crevado.com/
Some of my early stuff is strongly influenced by phosphenes and sleep imagery.
Enjoy your neuroscience studies!
Congratulation for The Digital Art inspired by your reserches!! They are gorgeous! In particular, i like "light fall". I'm enjoying Neuroscience and i love the implications of the Mirror neurons (an Italian Discovery) but i'm interested in knowledge about what i don't know because i think, it's the right way to have a better understanding of the reality and a higher awareness. Nice to meet you!