Ant: fiberglass, virtual-reality glasses,
and microscopes; giraffe: PVC, mirrors, and
voice changer
Ant: gloves: 3 3/4 x
6 5/16 x 8" (9.5 x 16 x 20 cm), helmet:
9 3/8 x 12 3/16 x 7 11/16" (24 x 31
x 19.5 cm); giraffe: 18 1/8 x 8 11/16 x
9 3/8" (46 x 22 x 24 cm)
Animal senses, like our own, have
evolved in reaction to specific contexts
and survival needs, and they often go
above and beyond the limited sensory
capacities of humans. Birds, for example,
use magnetic fields to determine their
migration routes, ants communicate
via scent trails, and dogs can sense
impending earthquakes. In an effort
to make these abilities comprehensible
to us, Chris Woebken and Kenichi Okada
have designed a series of experiential
sensory enhancements for children.
The ant apparatus, a helmet with gloves
attached, displays the world through
an ant’s eyes: microscopes in the gloves
magnify minuscule surface details to 50
times their regular size and transmit the
images to the helmet. The giraffe device
raises the wearer’s line of sight, simulating
for a child the physical perspective
of an adult, and also deepens the
voice. Although these prototypes
were specifically made as responses
to the curiosity of children, in a broader
sense they present us all with ways
to stretch our own limited human
interactions with the world.
