These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
The Music: Not Impossible haptic suit—a wearable backpack that weighs a couple pounds, with wrist and ankle attachments—translates audio from a concert venue’s mixers and placed microphones into vibrations that allow people who are deaf to feel the music on their skin. From events at Lincoln Center to South x Southwest, Music: Not Impossible has been lending its not-yet-commercially available suits to deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors. “For the deaf, it’s not just about the music; it’s the social aspect,” says Daniel Belquer, the company’s co-founder and “chief vibrational officer.” “To be involved in something larger than themselves, to disappear among the crowd—[hearing people] take it for granted.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
