Listening Beyond Music: How Science Makes Music Accessible to Those Left Behind

Music is often hailed as the universal language of mankind, but many people let it pass them by. Global pop hits like “Golden” from the film KPop Demon Hunters celebrate self-acceptance and the power of music—yet for individuals with hearing impairments, the emotional depth of these melodies and beats remains out of reach. 

But as technology advances, people find ways to break such barriers. One such example is enabling deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to feel music through vibrations coming from a wearable suit that correspond to the dynamics, tempo, and melody of music. This particular correlation between music, vibration, and the brain enables deaf people to experience music through the vibrotactile sense, a process that enables deaf people to detect mechanical vibrations through the skin. 

Music activates nearly all of the brain, including the hippocampus and amygdala, which activate emotional responses to music through memory; the limbic system, which governs pleasure, motivation, and reward; and the body’s motor system, so that those listening to music feel a sense of emotion corresponding to the parts of the brain activated. These reactions from activations of the brain come not only from the music itself, but also from the vibrations of the song.

Neuroscientist and musician Frank Russo has investigated how electrical signals in the brain track beats detected through the vibrotactile sense, observing varying results in deaf and hearing people. “What we’ve seen so far is that the deaf brain is doing a better job of representing the beat than your typical hearing person’s brain,” said Russo. This experiment shed light on the observation that many people who are born deaf seem to develop enhanced sensitivity to the sense of touch.

In another research study conducted by Assistant Professor Mario Prsa at the University of Fribourg, sending vibrations at different frequencies and intensities through a metal rod to human fingertips and mouse forelimbs allowed for a thorough analysis of neuronal behavior. This model system mirrored that of limb patterning, motor control, and muscle architecture, as different frequencies elicited responses from different neurons. This led to an observation that the human auditory system, which allows humans to detect sound waves, behaves similarly to mechanoreceptors, receptors that convert pressure, vibrations, or touch to electrical signals for the central nervous system, where different nerves in the system are sensitive to different frequencies.

Similarly, our human skin has various types of receptors where each receptor is tuned to specific frequencies and types of movement corresponding to it. Meissner's corpuscles, for instance, are receptors located near the skin’s surface, responding to low-frequency vibrations, tapping, or slow movements across the skin. Pacinian corpuscles, on the other hand, are located deeper in the dermis, a thick layer in the middle of the skin, and are sensitive to high-frequency vibrations.

Modeling after our skin, scientists and researchers have invented a novel way of listening to music through a suit that vibrates differently to corresponding frequencies. Vibrating vests allow both those who are deaf and those able to hear to experience music from a different perspective. Vibrotactile sensors help with this reaction by converting the music into physical sensations we can feel. This is followed by the work of transducers, devices that convert energy from one form into another, as they capture acoustic energy via sound waves from music and directly convert it into precise electrical and mechanical vibrations. Hence, a low-pitched and slow piece of music, such as a lullaby, would be translated into low-frequency vibrations that trigger Meissner’s corpuscles, creating a sensation of slow pulsing and tapping. A high pitch or fast event would be translated into high-frequency vibrations, activating the Pacinian corpuscles and evoking the perception of a smooth, continuous buzz.

With this in mind, those who were born deaf and those who developed deafness as they’ve aged may perceive music slightly differently with the vibrating suits. The former may sense the vibrations, triggering certain emotions in them through the activation of specific receptors corresponding to the music. The latter would be able to reconstruct certain melodies that they’d heard earlier in their lives, corresponding to the vibrations that they’d feel in their mind. 

While various vibrating vests exist, the Music: Not Impossible (M: NI) suit drastically enhances live performances for hearing and non-hearing audiences alike. Additionally, the M: NI suits go well beyond accommodation tools. At live events, both hearing and non-hearing audiences enjoy the additional layer of artistic input through the suits because the physical connection fundamentally elevates the performance quality.

The rise of technology sheds light on different ways of viewing accessibility and accommodations when listening to music. From hearing aids to vibrating vests, our capacity to enhance experiencing music has risen. Music doesn’t need to be heard to be felt. It can be felt and experienced through our bodies physically, and that’s all it takes to remind us of our shared love for music.