Music: Not Impossible is a Vibrotextile™ wearable technology that translates sound onto the skin through vibration. Inspired by the deaf community, this technology provides all users a unique and nuanced music experience.
Deaf concertgoers only sometimes have access to an interpreter and their sensory experience of the sonic experience is limited to hacks like holding a balloon, piece of PVC pipe, or standing close to the speakers to feel the vibrations. Even then, the vibrations are blunt, one-channel waves and lack nuance.
To enhance the concert-going experience by translating live music into physical vibration on the skin in real-time. We partnered with Mandy Harvey, a deaf singer/songwriter to give feedback throughout development to be sure the system stays true to its inspiration and enhances the experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing concert attendees.
After years of continuous research and development, Not Impossible Labs, with technology solutions support from Avnet, has engineered a complete platform for composing, translating and sending audio as vibrations wirelessly to the users' bodies with zero perceptible latency. Music: Not Impossible is a combination of wearables, hardware, software and wireless tools.
The battery-powered wireless wearable includes a harness, two wristbands, and two ankle bands, supplying 8 distinct areas of vibration across the user’s body, or what we call a ‘Surround Body Experience.’ Each element receives complex polyphonic musical expressions across the skin. Wearers may adjust the intensity of vibrations, which are visually represented via customizable color LED lights.
An M:NI activation can scale the technology to any size arena or audience and the signal may be broadcast across significant distances without interference. In the near future, vibrotactile art will be an all-new means of expression where we can appreciate rhythms, intensities and movements conveyed to the human’s largest organ: the skin.
Music: Not Impossible debuted during a live concert on September 21, 2018 for approximately 200 concertgoers in downtown Las Vegas. The show was powered by Zappos Adaptive (an online shopping experience from Zappos.com that curates inclusive products), and was held at the Church of Rock and Roll during the Life is Beautiful festival. Deaf and hearing music lovers participated in the audience beta test to promote auditory inclusion and human connection.
Discover how Chase Burton uses Music: Not Impossible as a new art form: The Art of Haptics (TAOH)
The Creator Network is a group of multimedia artists, composers, engineers, developers, producers and makers who use Music: Not Impossible’s creative platform to develop enhanced sensory experiences pushing towards radical inclusivity in the arts.
Watch nowWatch as Pharrell and the crowd at Music: Not Impossible's first live show at SXSW tell us about their experience.
Watch NowLife is Beautiful Festival, 2018: Greta van Fleet play the first-ever concert to an almost entirely deaf audience wearing Music: Not Impossible technology.
Watch NowSpecial thanks to Avnet, our technology solutions partner, for their work in helping us expand musical inclusivity.
