A Toronto nightclub is about to make music history by holding a concert for the hearing-impaired
Ryerson University’s Centre of Learning Technology and the Science of Music, Auditory Research and Technology recently announced the March 5 show starring local acts ill.Gates, Fox Jaws, Treestar, The Dufraines, Hollywood Swank and DJ Stephane Vera.
A concert for the hearing-impaired doesn’t mean the sound techs will turn the amps up past 11. Instead, the event will rely on seats called Emoti-Chairs, which will convert the night’s music into a series of tactile sensations to be experienced by the chairs’ occupants, according to the U.K.’s Guardian.
The Emoti-Chair was developed by Ryerson University’s Alternative Sensory Information Displays project. Computers placed in each chair analyze the sound frequencies in relation to the human cochlea, and then translate them into mechanical responses the occupants can feel, such as vibrations, motion and even blasts of air on their faces.
Along with the hi-tech chairs, the concert will also utilize interpreters, music visualization and open captioning.