Music is meant to be enjoyed by all. And the fashion tech company CuteCircuit has designed the perfect garment for the deaf to enjoy music to the fullest.
The London-based company created the Sound Shirt to allow users to feel music on their skin. The garment features 16 micro-actuators embedded in the fabric. The micro-actuators translate the sound into a tactile language on the skin.
“In this way the violins can be felt on the arms and the drums on the back creating a fully immersive feeling for a deaf audience member.” – CuteCircuit.
The shirt’s technology doesn’t require any wires, but instead uses woven conductive textiles. Whereas regular tech may cause irritation when worn, the stretchy textiles create a comfortable garment.
The Sound Shirt features high-resolution digital fabric printing that creates a unique design on the garment.
“The visual design is a metaphor for the relationship between vibrations and sound waves modulating in different frequencies.” – CuteCircuit
Pricing and Packages
The Sound Shirt is available for purchase now in a variety of packages. In addition to the Sound Shirt packages there is a cheaper option to visit the CuteCircuit office and try the shirt in-house. This option is available for 15 pounds or roughly $20 USD. At this time the website says this option is only available for two weeks.
As well as testing the shirt, packages available include Sound Shirt 2.0 Dev Kit, the Museum Package and the Orchestras Package. The Sound Shirt 2.0 Dev Kit pre-order is a version of the shirt for music and game developers. This kit hopes to help create immersive augmented and virtual reality experiences.
The Museum Package (~$12,115) is for the use of museums, comparatively the Orchestra Package (~$14,028) is for the use of orchestras.
While the price point is high, this technology from CuteCircuit is a stride for the deaf and others to enjoy music to the fullest.
