Japanese researchers want to show people what it’s like to have autism by using a headset that distorts imagery of people nearby.

The researchers from Osaka University and the University of Tokyo mounted a forward-facing Wi-Fi webcam on a Sony HMZ-T3W headset, which is designed for watching movies and covers the eyes with two screens.

The webcam’s video is relayed to the screens, but when the simulation’s image-processing program is activated, the faces of people become washed out and fuzzy, making their expressions impossible to see.

White dots like swirling snow also appear on the screens in response to loud noise, distorting the high-contrast image. Earphones linked to a microphone in the webcam also relay a distorted audio signal.

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