sensesize

Sense-size (often written as sensesize) is a proposed metric in cognitive science and robotics for quantifying the capacity of a sensing system to acquire perceptual information. It seeks to express the effective size of the perceptual field and the resolution at which stimuli can be detected, combining these aspects into a single, integrative measure.

In biological contexts, sensesize may describe the spatial extent of sensory modalities such as vision or hearing, together with sampling density and discrimination thresholds. In artificial systems, it can capture the field of view of cameras, the receptive range of sensors, and the granularity of data the system can reliably extract.

Measurement decomposes sensesize into components such as spatial sensesize (the angular or physical extent over which stimuli are detectable), temporal sensesize (the time window over which stimuli are integrated), and spectral or modality sensesize (the range of modalities or wavelengths represented). Units may be mixed; in robotics, sensesize is often reported as a dimensionless index or by associating each component with standard units (degrees, seconds, or logarithmic dynamic range).

Applications include comparing sensing architectures, guiding sensor selection, and designing user interfaces that align with perceptual capabilities. In animal-behavior studies, sensesize helps quantify how changes in environment or sensory apparatus affect perceptual reach. In human–computer interaction, adjusting interfaces to match the user’s sensesize can improve usability and information throughput.

Limitations include ongoing debates over cross-domain definitions, measurement, and interpretation. Different researchers may weight components differently, and tradeoffs between extent and resolution may vary across species and systems. Despite these caveats, sensesize provides a framework for discussing perceptual capacity in a consistent, comparative way.

See also: perception, sensory integration, field of view, sensorimotor, sampling rate, dynamic range.