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Emoti-Chair Brings Music to the Deaf

by Terrence O'Brien on February 11, 2009 at 01:40 PM

Emoti-Chair Brings Music to the Deaf

Remember that scene in 'Mr. Holland's Opus,' in which Richard Dreyfuss's deaf son turns up the sound on the stereo and sits on the speaker so he can "hear" the sound? Well, researchers at Ryerson University's Centre of Learning Technology and Toronto's Science of Music, Auditory Research and Technology Lab have taken that concept to its logical extreme and built the Emoti-Chair.

The Emoti-Chair is packed with speakers, motors and tubes that blast air, all with the goal of trying to translate music into physical sensations that can be experienced by the deaf. The chair will also be paired with traditional visualizations and captions when it is used in the first concert for the deaf on March 5 at the Toronto club Clifton's Tavern.

We're wondering, though, if the club will be filled with several Emoti-Chairs for a proper concert experience. More than likely, just one lucky participant will get to experience that full barrage of sensory stimulation. [From: PSFK.com]

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Tags: accessibility, deaf, disabilities, emoti-chair, future tech, FutureTech, health, music, research

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