Wrist-mounted Outer Ear offers tactile sound to the deaf

Designed by Jack Allwood from the Swinburne University, Australia, the OuterEar concept is a new system to improve things for the hearing impaired. The non-surgical system consists of a wristwatch-like strap which converts sound waves into physical vibration that the wearer can feel on the skin. A translation of sound into vibration is compiled by the wrist-worn device which works as a signal receiver and transmitter, which via Bluetooth translates the surrounding sound into low, medium or high vibrations depending on its frequency. With the device’s separate settings, the user can picks up sounds with higher decibels, like traffic and other loud noises outdoors, while the indoor setting allows the wearer to feel sounds more near, which would make the user more aware of the surroundings.

outer ear

outer ear concept

Via: AustralianDesignAwards/Gizmag