When we think about how technology is going to give sight back to the blind, we usually think of things like cybernetic eyes that fix up or replace faulty eyes. Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, however, have thought outside the eye socket, and developed a way to use the tongue to see. Using a device known as a "brain port," subjects are able to sense input from cameras and sensors on their tongues. Blind people using the device have been able to sense other people in front of them, go through doorways, and even catch a ball. The military hopes to use the technology to give elite soldiers superior senses, leaving their eyes free to look out in front of them rather than at sonar and mapping devices. A version of the device is set to be released commercially soon, although its exact abilities aren't clear. — Adam Frucci