Could you train yourself to perceive 4 spatial dimensions?
EDIT - MORE ACCURATE TITLE: Could you develop a sense of 4D spatial awareness through tactile exploration of a 4D virtual world?
It seems like people using these devices can gain a real sense of 3d space with the extra information, so they actually experience the objects in front of them like sighted do with vision. If you created a 3d virtual world and sent the first person view through these devices, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference (except for the fact that they can't interact with it). They would build a mental model and develop a sense of space from the virtual reality.
My idea is to create a basic maze game with movement in 4 dimensions and feed the proper sensory data to the brain. If the brain could create a 3d mental map from playing a 3d maze game, then maybe it could create a 4d mental map from a 4d experience. Or maybe 3d spatial processing is hardwired into the structure of the brain and processing 4d data is impossible.
Some questions:
What type of device would be able to transmit the data, and how much data could it send? The BrainPort looks like it has a 20x20 grid, and the cells in the grid can send a variable strength signal. That's at least 400 bits of data. The most minimalist maze could be done I think with 32 bits of sensory data total.
How could I get one of these devices? Could I build my own?
Does the physical location of the electrodes relative to each other matter? For instance, if you jumbled all of the pixels on the BrainPort, would the brain learn which pixels were next to each other and form a coherent image? Because with 4 dimensional data, I'm not sure you could put all spatially related impulses next to each other on a 2d surface.
Thanks for any info or any other input. I realize I may be totally wrong and this may all be pointless.
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Can you walk me through, step by step, a run through the maze? Let me know every important detail of each room and each turn. Every bump in every dimension.
You've glossed over a few things with the idea that you'd tackle them when you got there but they're things that might not have a solution with current technology and even said, "I don't really know how it will work, but as long as I can program a 3d maze, adding a dimension should be simple." I don't see that as simple so can you explain what is involved?
What exactly are you going to tell the 3D simulation to make it show a 4d world? I'm having a hard time visualizing how your going to make something turn from 3D to 4d and what it is even going to show you in order to be 4d.
My understanding, being very small on this, was that the 4d would be time and space. If I'm wrong please by all means inform me and I understand that's probably a very basic description if I'm right.
Edit:
Okay can someone give me a better explanation, after playing 2048 4D, everything I thought I knew is wrong.... I think....
@johndoe I'm with you on this.
I'm picturing the maze's 4th dimension as being a kind of 'intensity' that affects how you maneuver the 3 regular spatial dimensions. Am I way off?
Would it be like flatland?