Simulating Stimulations: Examining Ethical Dimensions of Sensory Extensions through Modular Design

Senses define our surroundings and become the primary interfaces for our daily interactions. In modernity, with developments in both digital and tangible technologies, senses have gone far beyond the boundaries of the human body. We can now see farther than our eyes can see through screens, hear farther than our ears can hear through devices, and extend our sensory reach in ways previously unimaginable. While these extensions expand our perception and understanding of the world, they also raise questions about the boundaries of human experience and the unintended consequences of technological augmentation. Through ethical theories and arguments surrounding sensory augmentations in human beings, the paper examines its impact on human-technology interaction. It explores how these enhancements could pose a threat in potential distortions of human perception while also showing potential towards empowerment and agency. As such, the paper looks into how designing extensions of human senses questions the ontology of interaction between humans and devices. We take a look into whether new technological tools truly enhance our lives or diminish certain aspects of our humanity, setting up a discourse on how these technologies can act as extensions of amputations of our abilities. Through a narrowing down of a design approach, the paper analyzes a series of case studies of how modular design can aid towards a kit-of-parts approach in designing both practical and playful extensions for our senses. The project aims to contribute to a broader understanding of how modular design influences our perception of technological extensions. It encourages a balance between curiosity, creativity, and ethical challenges regarding societal fear of new technological approaches.