Leonid Yaroslavsky of Tel Aviv University believes that with a bit of help from sensor technology, humans may one day be able to sense their environment with their skin, similarly to how reptiles are able to do it now.
From a press release by the American Friends of Tel Aviv University:
“Some people have claimed that they possess the ability to see with their skin,” says Prof. Yaroslavsky. Though biologists usually dismiss the possibility, there is probably a reasonable scientific explanation for “skin vision.” Once understood, he believes, skin vision could lead to new therapies for helping the blind regain sight and even read.
Skin vision is not uncommon in nature. Plants orient themselves to light, and some animals — such as pit vipers, who use infrared vision, and reptiles, who possess skin sensors — can “see” without the use of eyes. Skin vision in humans is likely a natural atavistic ability involving light-sensitive cells in our skin connected to neuro-machinery in the body and in the brain, explains Prof. Yaroslavsky.
Here’s a PDF of a chapter in Advances in Information Optics and Photonics by Dr Yaroslavsky describing his work.
Press release: Seeing through the skin