Feeling the Match
Sport is one of the great shared human experiences. Technology like this gets us closer to it being genuinely shared, by everyone.
#disability; #languageandcommunicationabilities
There are around 12 million people in the UK with hearing loss.
Most of the spectacle of live sport — the crowd roar, the thud of a tackle, the buzz of anticipation — is delivered through sound. For deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, that's a significant part of the experience that's simply not accessible.
Hapbeat, a Japanese company originally known for immersive music technology, has developed a neck-worn wearable that converts sound into vibration felt directly against the skin. At the Tokyo Deaflympics judo competition, microphones and sensors in the venue captured every footstep, collision and throw in real time. Lighter footwork produced gentle pulses. A full throw landed as a deep, unmistakable sensation to the chest.
Deaf judo fan Eri Terada put it simply: "When someone was thrown, it was a heavy thud. Each one was different. I thought, 'Wow — this is amazing. It's so easy to understand.'" Origin CG
Hapbeat isn't alone in this space. Newcastle United partnered with wearable tech brand CuteCircuit to introduce haptic shirts at St James' Park, vibrating in response to goals, crowd noise and on-pitch action, helping deaf fans feel connected to one of the loudest atmospheres in English football.
What both examples show is the curb-cutting effect in action. At the Deaflympics, hearing spectators were drawn to the device too. "Even though I can hear, the device really conveyed the atmosphere," said Nana Watanabe. "It felt like we could share the intensity together." Origin CG
Sport is one of the great shared human experiences. Technology like this gets us closer to it being genuinely shared, by everyone.