Music: Not impossible
The very clever people at Not Impossible Labs have created a vest that allows deaf concertgoers to experience music in a whole new way. The Music:NotImpossible vest was put to the test during Lady Gaga’s Dive Bar Tour in Nashville, using a wireless system to send the vibrations to eight assigned channels across the body.
These vibrations will replicate various musical instruments that are being played on stage. The vest must be worn with the attached ankle and wrist bands with the percussion being felt through the ankles while the wrist feels the piano and guitar.
Vocals are located in the rib cage and the bass is on the lower band and spine. The technology has been tested on over 200 people, both those who can hear and those who can’t.
“Music is not about hearing or non-hearing, it’s about inclusion,” said Not Impossible Labs CEO and Founder Mick Ebeling. “We are not trying to help the Deaf hear music the way a hearing person hears music. Instead, we’ve created a new universal language for us all to experience music equally.”
The vest was made in conjunction with Volcom, the clothing company, with Stance making the wrist and ankle bracelets. MNI intends to offer the vest on a venue and artist-specific basis.
For more details on the project, head to notimpossiblenow.com.
