New device can help the deaf feel music
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]
