Tiny clip lets deaf people sense sounds using their hair

Developed by Fujitsu, this tiny clip lets deaf people sense sounds using their hair by using a microphone to turn sound into haptic feedback.

The wearable was previously shown only as a prototype but now, the low-cost Ontenna is likely to go into production later this year.

Around 1,000 units will be made, though the company is likely to give these to deaf and hard of hearing people as part of an extended trial. Two versions of the device have been produced – a slightly larger version that connects via Bluetooth to a companion app and a smaller version without Bluetooth.

While Ontenna doesn’t allow someone wearing it to actually hear the world around them, it does help to provide a sense of audial world around them. If a song is playing, for example, the device will vibrate to mimic the sound of the music. Or, more practically, if a doorbell or phone rings, it will vibrate to alert the wearer. As the vibrations match accurately to the sound – the sensor has 256 different levels of feedback – Fujitsu said deaf people can use the technology as an alternative way of interacting with the world around them.

But why hair? During early tests of the technology, deaf people said that placing it on the hand felt too ‘noisy’, according to Takashi Yamamoto, who works for Fujitsu’s advanced systems research and development unit, where the product was developed. Conversely, attaching it to clothes felt too ‘quiet’ – but clipping the small plastic device to your hair felt like a ‘good interface’.

A prototype of Ontenna was first shown in 2016, though the technology started as a university research project by current Fujitsu user interface designer Tatuya Honda. The company hopes to manufacturer it for well below the cost of a hearing aid and while an exact figure is yet to be announced Yamamoto said it would likely cost less than $100. The current version, shown at the company’s annual customer event in Tokyo, is very close to the finished article.

While at present the device can only react to the rhythm and loudness of a sound – it’ll vibrate harder if someone is shouting and more softly if they are only talking – Fujitsu hopes to develop ways to represent the tone and timbre of audio.