A new product being developed in London will help the deaf to hear, using vibrations which can be felt through the skin. While the technology is still rudimentary, it has exciting potential for people who are completely deaf or deaf and blind.
Details are a bit sketchy at this point, but the concept is good: create a device that turns sound into vibration, enabling a person to “feel” when something happens around them. The device will work by registering different kinds of sounds and lowering the frequency to a range that can be felt through the skin. This means that someone who couldn’t hear previously will be able to tell if someone is speaking, if a telephone is ringing, or even make it so they can “hear” birdsong.
The technology is experimental, however the engineer developing it has had good results in initial trials. To read the entire press release, click here.
[via Shiny Shiny]