Deaf people can now feel music through their skin, thanks to new technology. A backpack known as a “haptic suit” was designed to experience music as vibrations on your body, the New York Times reported. So the person would feel a kick drum on their ankles and a snare drum on their spine.
The technology has been available at Lincoln Center in New York City, including at a recent silent party where people listened to the night’s music through wireless headphones, the SXSW festival, as well as select concerts in Las Vegas and Philadelphia.
The technology was developed by Music: Not Impossible, a company based out of Philadelphia. The device includes two ankle bands, two wrist bands, and a backpack secured over a rib cage with double straps.
“Wearing one of them feels a little like a full-body bear hug from a massage chair,” Sarah Bahr of the NYT wrote.
While the backpacks have been around for decades, used in virtual reality and video games, the one created by Music: Not Impossible turns notes into vibrations. The company offers a package to provide organizations with up to 90 suits for events and a team of “vibro DJs” trained to match the vibration-locations for each song in a set.
