Scientists Uncover Evidence of 'Remote Touch' Sensory Modality in Human Perception

A groundbreaking scientific investigation has recently brought to light a previously unrecognized human capability, which researchers are labeling “remote touch” or even characterizing as a “seventh sense.” A collaborative team of researchers hailing from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and University College London (UCL) successfully demonstrated that individuals possess the capacity to perceive the presence of objects without requiring direct physical contact. Historically, the sense of touch has been defined strictly by the necessity of immediate surface interaction. This new finding challenges that fundamental understanding of human perception, suggesting our tactile abilities extend far beyond simple contact.

The inspiration for this intriguing study was drawn from the animal kingdom, specifically observing how shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers expertly locate sustenance buried beneath loose sand. Scientists hypothesized that the human nervous system might similarly be attuned to picking up subtle mechanical responses transmitted through granular media. The core of the experiment, which was unveiled at the IEEE ICDL conference, involved volunteers slowly immersing a finger into a container of sand. Their objective was to detect a cube hidden beneath the surface before their finger actually made contact with it. The results were compelling: participants managed to pinpoint the location of the concealed item with an accuracy of approximately 70.7%. This figure is substantially higher than what could be attributed to mere chance guessing, confirming the existence of this latent sensory skill.

This remarkable achievement is attributed to the exceptional sensitivity inherent in human hands. They are capable of registering microscopic deformations within the surrounding sand, deformations which are generated by the presence of a solid body. The sensation itself arises because the movement of the finger through the granular material generates minute shifts. These shifts effectively “reflect” off the hidden object, traveling back through the medium to reach the sensory receptors in the skin. For comparative analysis, the research team deployed a robot equipped with an advanced tactile sensor and an LSTM machine learning algorithm. The robotic system achieved a detection accuracy of only 40%, while simultaneously generating a higher rate of false positives. This stark contrast underscores the profound superiority of human perceptual fine-tuning in navigating and interpreting subtle environmental feedback within this specific context.

Unlocking the underlying mechanisms of this indirect perception capability opens up significant new avenues for engineering and technological development. The knowledge gained from this research could be instrumental in designing far more sophisticated tactile sensors, as well as enhancing assistive devices tailored for individuals experiencing impaired sensation. Furthermore, it holds promise for developing operational systems suitable for environments with severely limited visibility, such as during complex archaeological excavations or the exploration of extraterrestrial surfaces on other planets. Elisabetta Versace, who heads the Prepared Minds laboratory at QMUL, emphasized that this study marks the first time remote touch has been investigated in humans, fundamentally altering our understanding of the perceptual world inhabited by living organisms. The team intends to conduct further investigations to ascertain the variability of this skill across different individuals and to identify the factors that may limit its manifestation.