Meet the first humans to sense where north is

A small silicone gadget attached to the chest gives its wearer the ability to sense which direction they face. Could it prompt a 'cyborg' evolution in human ability?

Liviu Babitz opens his collar to reveal a small silicone gadget, the size of a matchbox, attached to his chest with two titanium bars that sit just under the skin. Most resembling a compact bike light, the North Sense that Babitz has attached is an artificial sense organ that delivers a short vibration every time the user faces North. Babitz and Scott Cohen, co-founder at Cyborg Nest, the company that created North Sense, are currently the only two using the product, which will soon be shipped out to clients who have pre-ordered it over the last few months.

"Around us is an entire universe we don't perceive," Cohen explains. "As we walk down the street there's radiation, X-rays, infrared and ultraviolet, as well as the electromagnetic field of the planet. So we want to create new senses to become aware of our environment." Although many people are experimenting with modifying their bodies using technology for medical or experimental purposes, Cyborg Nest are more interested in creating and extending human senses. Two of their other co-founders, Neil Harbisson and Moon Ribas, have both already installed superhuman senses - Harbisson, who is colourblind, has an 'eyeborg' that allows him to "hear" the light spectrum (including infrared and ultraviolet), while Ribas has a sensor in her elbow that vibrates when an earthquake occurs anywhere in the world.