Mark Pappas, who has been blind for 14 years, searched for a packet of sugar on the table in front of him by running his tongue across the 400 electrodes in his mouth. Using the information from the electrodes, he was able to locate the sugar, a white plastic spoon and a white paper cup that had been placed on a black cloth. Then he walked down a hallway without the help of his white cane. Mr. Pappas was demonstrating an experimental device called the BrainPort, which translates information from a video camera on his sunglasses into a pattern of tiny electric shocks on a small mouthpiece that he "reads" with his tongue. Learning to interpret the sensations required extensive training, but Mr. Pappas said the BrainPort is a valuable navigation aid. It can detect obstacles above waist