Researchers develop groundbreaking iPhone application

A neuroscience laboratory based within UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology has developed the first audio-based game for the iPhone. The Lottolab's 'Bing Bong? game encourages players to use their brains differently by  'hearing' the visual world. The aim is to keep a ball from hitting the ground by either catching it or bouncing it on a paddle, but the ball is invisible?players can only hear it. Beau Lotto (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) said the idea for Bing Bong stemmed from his laboratory's research into sensory substitution as a means of exploring how the brain makes sense of its surroundings. He said: 'My research into colour and sound show that even the simplest thing the brain does - seeing colour ' is grounded in history, relationships and interaction. We are defined by that ecology. Indeed, the brain is a physical representation of our past interactions.