A new speaker dubbed the Vibrato is designed to help the deaf "feel" music,
by providing a series of finger pads that allow the user to get as physically close as possible to the vibrations
created by the music. Vibrato's developer, Brunel University design graduate Shane Kerwin, also says that by connecting
the device to a computer, a deaf user would be able to compose music. Of course, the Vibrato builds on ideas that date
back at least to the 19th century, when a deaf Ludwig van Beethoven supposedly cut the legs off of his piano and
composed while sitting on the floor so he could more easily feel the instrument's vibrations.
[Thanks, GLN]