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High-tech jacket allows deaf people to feel the music https://www.asiaone.com/digital/high-tech-jacket-allows-deaf-people-feel-music Twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane love dancing but can't hear the music because they're both deaf, so the invention of a jacket with sensors that enables them to feel the different sounds has transformed their nights out in London clubs. The "Sound Shirt", created by London-based fashion company CuteCircuit, has 16 sensors embedded in its fabric, so wearers can feel violins on their arms, for example, while drums beat on their backs. The Berhane twins, who lost their hearing at a young age, say modelling the shirts has given them a brand new experience. "It's almost like feeling the depth of the music," says Hermon. "It just feels as though we can move along with it." Francesca Rosella, co-founder and chief creative officer of CuteCircuit, which designs fashion wearable technology, said the shirts allowed deaf people to feel the music through sensations. "Inside the shirt - that, by the way, is completely textiles, there are no wires inside, so we're only using smart fabrics - we have a combination of microelectronics... very thin and flexible, and conductive fabrics," she said. "All these little electronic motors are connected with these conductive fabrics so that the garment is soft and stretchable." Sound Shirts don't come cheap, as they are expected to go on sale at more than £3,000 (S$5,100), but Heroda believes it's a price worth paying for deaf people who enjoy music as much as she and her sister do. "I think it could definitely change our lives," she said. uploaded image photo: CuteCircuit

I think this is a very good initiative. Deaf Grab drivers: 'They can do everything but hear' Like many other private-hire car drivers in Singapore, Stephen Chong spends long hours on the road. For five days a week, the 41-year-old wakes up at 6.30am and starts driving half an hour later, picking up passengers until about 1pm. He then takes a break for an hour or two for lunch and to meet friends before continuing to drive, ending his day between 8pm and 10pm. However, Mr Chong is not like most of the more than 41,000 people here who hold a private hire car driver’s vocational licence (PDVL). He is hard of hearing. The private-hire car driver of three years has hearing loss of 50 decibels - or about the loudness of a normal conversation. He is one of about 30 to 40 Grab drivers here who are deaf or hard of hearing, said the company's Singapore head Yee Wee Tang, who adds the firm also has about 10 to 15 delivery riders who are deaf or hard of hearing. In September, the Singapore-based ride-hailing firm signed an agreement with the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), with the aim of promoting deaf awareness as well as making the Grab platform more inclusive for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. As part of this initiative - part of its Grab for Good social responsibility programme - the company introduced a scheme that halves the commission it collects from existing and new drivers who are also SADeaf beneficiaries. Drivers typically pay Grab a commission of about 20 per cent of the fares they collect. On its part, SADeaf will provide skills upgrading programmes for deaf Grab drivers and delivery riders. The Grab app will notify passengers that their driver is deaf. They are advised to use the chat feature in the app to communicate, and the call function is turned off to prevent them from calling their drivers. A sticker in the vehicle helps inform passengers how they should communicate with their drivers, while flip-cards indicating common requests - such as directions, adjusting the temperature of the air-conditioning and where to drop off - are provided to help in communications between drivers and passengers.

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Well, despite being deaf/mute, at 67 years old he had travel THREE-quarters of the globe, sixcontinents, 47 countries on his motorbike, really inspire me alot . I bet healthy people like us dun even stand a chance when we r at his age. http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,...,159260,00.html DC

to the owner of the red lancer, since last nite abt 11pm your car will intermittently sound of its extremely loud alarm... until now, at about 10:20am!! upon my KPOness, i went to see your car you forgot to switch off your bl00dy cabin lights! which i reckon cause the alarm! please, u (the owner) check your car before u head off to never never land OR or frens or relative or even enemy of the KocK driver of this vehicle please tell him/her to go to the car now. NOW!! PS. the note left on the windscreen, not by me tho, indicated this is NOT the 1st time this idiot has his car alarm goes off and disturb the whole neighborhood... i miss my sleep

hi guys, Using an Orion amp with orion component speakers, now the problem is that, the sound is like 'too clear', or sharp. i've already lowered the treb to the max, but some music i play with vocals, are DAMM sharp, freq damm high and its really a pain to my ears. anyone out there can help me out on what to do? CHeers guys..