Lodestone: PICO
The Lodestone PICO is a USB-C dongle that can be used with any device that supports USB Audio that allows you to effectively feel sounds using an implanted magnet. Any audio source (music, video, games, etc) is output through the device and can be felt with a biomagnet such as the Titan or xG3. It was developed by researcher Axel Fougues as a means of exploring the haptic potential of implants. Note: the color of the PICO shipped is random.
$24.99
Usage Tips
- Set your phone’s volume to 100%.
- Find comfortable and stable way of positioning your magnet.
- Alignment: The magnet should be positioned at the end of the PICO such that one of the magnet’s poles is facing the end of the device.
- Keep the implant within 1mm of the PICO.
- It can take a second or two for the device to be ready after plugging it in. If the device you attached the PICO to is making noise, it hasn’t been recognized yet.
Explore Further
ZINC is an Android app independently made by Axel. It features, among other things, a “haptic lab” which provides a set of tools for trying various wave patterns with your phone. It also features a test suite for quantifying sensitivity–something lacking in the biomagnet world.
Those interested in delving deeper into Axel’s research that led to the development of the PICO can find it here.