People with hearing loss will be able to listen to music through the sense of touch thanks to a pioneering prototype that has been devised by researchers of the University of Malaga. It consists of an audio-tactile algorithm that, by using tactile illusions, renders monophonic music into tangible stimuli based on vibration. It's like hacking the nervous system to receive a different response to the real stimulus sent. This would result in a portable terminal that could be brought to a concert, since this prototype, according to the researchers, will be easily transferable to technological devices such as cell phones. The algorithm can convert musical features and structures extracted from MIDI files to vibrotactile stimuli.
Current models do not warrant the correspondence between the emotional response to music and the vibrotactile version of it. In view of this, these engineers of the UMA propose an arrangement of the tactile illusions to improve and extend the spectrum of musical features, adding dynamics to the vibration in the form of movement, changes of direction and location. First experiments completed, in which over fifty volunteers took part, suggest that the arrangement of tactile illusions evokes more positive emotions than negative ones. They are also perceived as more agreeable and stimulating than the audio, provoking a different emotional response from that of the original music.
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