Hollerings | Digital & IT

CuteCircuit – The technology enhanced sound shirt to aid deaf people ?

Today’s world as we know it would not be the same without music. Driving in your car – music. Travelling to work – music. Bar or club – music. Nothing would be the same. However, a lot of people forget that deaf people cannot experience this on a day-to-day basis, something that for some of us is a valuable concept in our lives. The likes of DJs or artists wouldn’t be where they were today if it weren’t for the power of music. So why should someone who is deaf not get to experience the power of music on a day-to-day basis?

CuteCircuit is a pioneer in the industry of wearable technology. They have merged technology with fashion to create an innovative bespoke item with magical interactive capabilities. They have even collaborated with high-end brands such as Chanel to create an illuminated interactive handbag. CuteCircuit believe in the future of our bodies, something everyone already has access to, will eventually become an interface to data. Allowing us to connect with each other in a more instinctive manner.

CuteCircuit have designed a top that allows deaf users to physically feel the music against their skin. They will even be able to experience a live symphonic concert, as the shirt creates pulses throughout the shirt in sync with real-time music in bigger or smaller pumps depending on the instrument. For example, the violin could be felt on the arms meanwhile the drums on your back, creating a fully immersive experience for the deaf user. The design of the shirt is a stretchy fabric with no wires, but a series of haptic (touch-like) sensations. All of the conductive pathways within the garment are composed of woven conductive textiles that are seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the garment. In link to the design, they stated…

The exterior design design is a metaphor for the relationship between vibrations and sound waves modulating in different frequencies. The connecting lines also serve as a tacit diagram of the underlying data network, stretchable micro-electronic circuitry, and 3d printed details, present within the garment and otherwise invisible, that control the plurality of different actuators inside the SoundShirt.

At £11,000 the price includes:

  • 1 SoundShirt 2.0
  • 1 Audio converter
  • 1 MAC or PC with pre-installed Q Software
  • 8 Microphones, microphone stands, and cables
  • 1 Q Antenna for broadcast to SoundShirts

Written by: Leah Cottham

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