Unconventional hearing device: Opinions wanted

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Wonderer

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Greetings to the AllDeaf community!

I have had an idea brewing in me for quite sometime, an idea for a device which would help a deaf person (i think/hope) gain an extra and valuable measure and perception of the vibrating air particles around us all we call sound.

I have no hearing problems myself, and those whom I do know who are deaf have not been accessible to me and my many questions for quite sometime. And so the internet provides me with this excellent solution of sharing the idea here!

Without further ado, It is a necklace, or a bracelet, or even a belt.

When connected, each link has it's own capacity to vibrate independently and at different velocities. Each link is powered either by lithium battery cells or whatever would be the lightest (in one battery link, not in every link (perhaps in a decorative pendant). Each link would also have the ability to sense sound coming from the relative direction it faces. So if there was a loud localized noise coming from behind you, you would feel several links vibrating on the back of your neck or back (the necklace option intuitively seems the most functional, due to small size, good positioning to pick up sound vibrations, and an area of sensitive skin which can feel the link vibrations distinctly), and the link which vibrates the hardest would be the closest accurate measure of which direction the sound came from.

In essence, if i was to run around someone wearing this device while screaming, they would feel a vibration circle around their neck. If a car beeped a horn, the vibration in the necklace links would be stronger, potentially recognizable. Likewise if someone was speaking in close proximity in your direction, you would feel distinct vibrations with rising and falling strengths.

This is not really meant to be a staple device in the hearing aid world. When I put myself in the shoes of others (as i often do), I feel it is something that if i was deaf, i would want. There are the safety applications, the practical applications, and then there is that potential for the human mind to take such a small variable, like this spatial/directional vibration perception, and get an invaluable amount of information from it.

I have not patented this yet, and there is no patent pending. I humbly ask for any and all criticisms both constructive and otherwise. As i have not experienced deafness, i find it impossible to adequately visualize such a device in action. To me it is only a good idea that i cannot personally verify, thus i have come seeking your help

Do you think it would be interesting to try?

Do you think it could be very valuable to you?

Do you think it wouldn't be much of a benefit?

What are your thoughts o the device itself? Do you have any ideas for variations? Has it already been done?

I appreciate honesty :)

Thanks for reading and thank you in advance for any feedback,

The Wonderer
 
Do you think it would be interesting to try? Try, yes.

Do you think it could be very valuable to you? No.

Do you think it wouldn't be much of a benefit? Not for me, but maybe others.

What are your thoughts of the device itself? In essence it's a good idea, but I personally think it would be more of an annoyance to constantly have vibrations going on. Suppose I go to a loud place, it would be non-stop vibtations. It would drive me nuts.

Do you have any ideas for variations? Not a necklace. I think the belt would be your best bet. It's stationary on the body and would leave the most space for you to add the motors to create the vibration. A necklace and a bracelet may be prone to turning itself on the neck or wrist of it's user. This would cause inaccurate readings.

Has it already been done? Not that I know of.
 
ubuntu said:
Do you think it would be interesting to try? Try, yes.

Do you think it could be very valuable to you? No.

Do you think it wouldn't be much of a benefit? Not for me, but maybe others.

What are your thoughts of the device itself? In essence it's a good idea, but I personally think it would be more of an annoyance to constantly have vibrations going on. Suppose I go to a loud place, it would be non-stop vibtations. It would drive me nuts.

Do you have any ideas for variations? Not a necklace. I think the belt would be your best bet. It's stationary on the body and would leave the most space for you to add the motors to create the vibration. A necklace and a bracelet may be prone to turning itself on the neck or wrist of it's user. This would cause inaccurate readings.

Has it already been done? Not that I know of.
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"I personally think it would be more of an annoyance to constantly have vibrations going on." That would depend on what part of the body the vibrations is going on!
 
HHIssues said:
The Wonderer,

Have you heard of Cochlear Implants?
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Not sure if you realize this, but not all deaf/hoh people have cochlear implants...nor want them. I'm sure there are profoundly deaf people out there that may like a vibration to notify them of sound occouring when a hearing aid will not benefit them.
 
ubuntu said:
Not sure if you realize this, but not all deaf/hoh people have cochlear implants...nor want them. I'm sure there are profoundly deaf people out there that may like a vibration to notify them of sound occouring when a hearing aid will not benefit them.
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I understand that. I was just kind of wondering if the The Wonderer was "keeping up with the times".

Sure, I'm all for progress in the science / technology field. I still have the other unimplanted ear for such developments. :)
 
Not a bad idea. I have a friend who has a patent on a vibrating car seat or reclining chair that works directly with music. I don't know if he has any on the market yet.
 
Beowulf said:
Not a bad idea. I have a friend who has a patent on a vibrating car seat or reclining chair that works directly with music. I don't know if he has any on the market yet.
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a device that works directly with music? My friend was promoting something like this - a vibrating vest.

Feel The Music: Thumping Threads
 
Wonderer said:
Do you think it would be interesting to try?
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no.

Wonderer said:
Do you think it could be very valuable to you?
Click to expand...
no.

Wonderer said:
Do you think it wouldn't be much of a benefit?
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yes.

Wonderer said:
What are your thoughts on the device itself?
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1. I don't like it. I ride motorcycle in NYC and I do just fine without this kind of device.
2. The less distraction, the better... which leads to heightened situational awareness.
3. impractical. complicated. clumsy.
4. a much easier alternative solution - get a service dog. or a midget (I joke. why so serious?).

Wonderer said:
Do you have any ideas for variations?
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no.

Wonderer said:
Has it already been done?
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yes. I've made a very similar device for Duracell/NSTA Invention Challenge ages ago at high school. Didn't win it but got an "honorable" mention which is not that impressive.
 
i would like something like that if t was tuned to a siren or horns for driving. too often an emergency vehicle comes from a blocked view direction and an alert device could give me a heads up.
 
Do you think it would be interesting to try?
Not really - sorry

Do you think it could be very valuable to you?
Sorry - but no, I honestly can't think of a situation this would really be helpful in - places like malls and parking lots have too much ambient noise (other's talking and yelling, cars, music, planes, trains etc) to make this viable in a realistic way ... ie it would "go off" so often that people would figure a "real alert" was just another loud background noise.

Do you think it wouldn't be much of a benefit?
Basically! For some reason hearing people seem to think that Hoh/d/Deaf people are far more likely to be hit by a car/truck/train etc because we can't hear the vehicle - however this isn't actually not the case. People who are Hoh/d/Deaf ensure that they are away of their environment visually and take extra precautions to ensure safety when doing things like cross the street etc. I know that from a VERY young age I understood that while my sister and parents could "listen for cars appearing out of no-where" when crossing the street, I had to look to "hear them" for this reason from very tiny I've looked both ways before crossing and then left & right again at least once more at the "midpoint" of the road. Having talked with many Hoh/d/Deaf people online and in real life about this ...it seems my method of crossing the street is "the norm" and done instinctively by anyone who was born with hearing loss or acquired hearing loss before they started kindergarten or first grade (0-6years old) however those who acquired HL later in life (10years or later) they are more conscious about looking both ways multiple times *shrug*

There have been studies that prove that hoh/d/Deaf individuals - barring exceptions such as those with Ushers etc- are much more aware of things happening in their peripheral vision, and even more importantly able to better utilize the information they see peripherally than most hearing people... effectively Hoh/d/Deaf individuals tend to have a wider usable field of vision, because our peripheral vision is so important to us) which actaully makes us more likely to AVOID an accident than many hearing people.



What are your thoughts o the device itself? Do you have any ideas for variations? Has it already been done?
Honestly - something like this may appeal to someone who is recently late deafened (or has acquired hearing loss as an adult) ...but only because they are still learning "how to be deaf" for lack of a better phrase. By this, I mean: they are still learning how to use their peripheral vision to inform them of various things, still expect to be warned by sound instead of movement etc. Once they make these adjustments though - the device would sit in a cupboard.



Honestly if you wanted to make a device that would be useful - consider building something like a Blackberry sized product (for under $250USD) that had a very advanced form of voice recognition software - something like "Dragon Naturally Speaking" but more straightforward to set up.
For instance - when a Hoh/d/Deaf person met someone that they were unable to speechread they could had the device to the hearing person who would be prompted to read 3sentances (to calibrate the machine to them) and have the option of saying a name to connect with that calibration (for people who would be using the device a lot like family/friends)- and then once they did that, they would be able to speak into the mic (a mic jack that would fit a lapel mic would be perfect) and their voice would be displayed on the screen for the Hoh person to read ...

The more the unit was used, the more accurate it would get at understanding specific voices as well as "generic voices" etc. For people who may use the device often, they could "call up their calibration" by saying their name at the prompt - and just like one does with Dragon Naturally Speaking, the more a users speaks into the unit the more accurate the transcription of their voice becomes.

now THAT would be a useful device!
 
DDU said:
i would like something like that if t was tuned to a siren or horns for driving. too often an emergency vehicle comes from a blocked view direction and an alert device could give me a heads up.
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There already is a device such as this that you put in your car to alert you of EMS/Police vehicles running "lights and sirens"
 
Anij said:
There already is a device such as this that you put in your car to alert you of EMS/Police vehicles running "lights and sirens"
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Can you provide a link? I cannot locate this. PM me about it please, don't want to hijack the thread.
 
Do you think it would be interesting to try? Definitely, yes.

Do you think it could be very valuable to you? Definitely, yes.

Do you think it wouldn't be much of a benefit? I am profoundly deaf and very sensitive to vibrations. Years ago there was the Tacaid device worn on the wrist but I didn't own one. It is my understanding that the makers are no longer in business. That is unfortunate. It is not something I would want to wear all the time but for those times when it is important to do so, it would be very helpful.

What are your thoughts o the device itself? Do you have any ideas for variations? Has it already been done? I mentioned Tactaid. That was worn on the wrist with a transmitter you put in your pocket with wire attached to the wrist device. I thought that was a great idea and still do. The neck vibration idea might work for some sounds but I think hand or wrist area would be more sensitive to interpretation of vibrations. Maybe something that was even like a "tactile glove" that would vibrate in the finger tips. I have been profoundly deaf for over 20 years now after hearing perfectly well for nearly 40 years so I do know what sound is like. Years ago when I realized I was sensitive to vibrations in my finger tips I often would place my finger tips on the neck/throat of a person speaking and was able to determine what they were saying by watching their lip movements and "feeling" their speech. It was amazing how much I could "hear" this way. I missed virtually nothing that was said by the person and if I didn't understand it, a repeat or it often filled in the missing bit. Obviously this throat touching approach is very intrusive and I only did it with those I was close to and only after asking permission. I was experimenting on what worked and what did not regarding vibrations. My grandson would take my hand and place my finger tips on his throat when he wanted to talk to me knowing full well that I could hear him that way. When attending events where music was present I held a balloon and "felt" the music vibrating in the balloon. You get mostly base sounds but it's something to experience over absolute silence.

I do not know why Tactaids are no longer being made but it might be because the market for them is small. If I had such a device, I'd definitely use it. The good part about any device is that you can turn it off if you do not want the vibrating input.
 
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