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vibrating intensities are available. By producing these different vibrations at each of the
24 points in the wearable harness, Belquer was able to capture the melody and rhythm
of a musical piece.
“We’ve been able to spread 3,990 frequencies across five octaves in each of the
actuators, which we’ve embedded in a wearable vest,” Belquer says. “The combination
of different frequencies across multiple actuators produces interesting harmonic
textures, while the amplitude components in the actuators correspond to the dynamics
of the music. We’ve also attached a small sub-woofer on the back to provide an oomph
factor for bolder vibrations.”
He presented his haptic prototype to the Music: Not Impossible team and the
project’s primary backer, Skullcandy, a maker of wireless ear buds, in 2014. The haptic
tracks were composed by Belquer to synchronize with music from Bach to Wiz Khalifa.
The model impressed his fellow team members, impelling Ebeling to insist that Belquer
and his young family move to Los Angeles.
“Mick said, ‘I’m buying you tickets right now,’” Belquer recalls. “Two days later, my
wife, daughter, and I relocated to live in his back house for seven months before getting
our own place nearby.”
In March, the newest version of the haptic device was released for public
dissemination at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. “The show features a
dozen musical artists who have created experiences using our platform,” says Belquer.
The artists include Levi Patel, Candida Borges, Robbie Wilde, and Chase Burton, among
others. Audience members have the opportunity to wear the harness, which now includes
“ Our theory is, the more
we listen to music with
our skin, the more
sophisticated our brains
will become in
interpreting that music.”
—Mick Ebeling, founder and CEO,
Not Impossible Labs
wrist and ankle bands with embedded haptic actuators.
While the technology offers a uniquely tactile and visceral
way for deaf people to enjoy music, the hope is to scale the
product commercially so that all people will be able to do
the same, augmenting their listening pleasure though skin
vibrations that make music a more immersive experience.
A hundred years from now, Ebeling says people may
become accustomed to receiving music as textured
vibrations through their skin. “Our theory is, the more we
listen to music with our skin, the more sophisticated our
brains will become in interpreting that music.”
Ebeling is referring to the brain’s neuroplasticity, the
ability to adapt to new stimuli and change accordingly. “We
might even begin to prefer the experience of listening with
our skin, absorbing it through thousands of skin pores instead of just two holes in our
heads. It’s certainly not impossible.”
Nothing absurd about that at all. ■