Wearable Music for the Deaf Community

Tactus started out with a simple goal: to bring the power of music to the Deaf and hard of hearing community through an accessible device, aka clothing.  The final product takes digital audio signals and optimizes them through vibrations on the body rather than vibrations that travel through the air.  These vibrations are then sent to specific locations on the torso where they are received by the person wearing the piece of clothing.  The clothing looks perfectly casual and discreet and is also lightweight and wearable, thus distinguishing it from comparable devices.  

Upon learning about Tactus, one of the things that struck me about both the company and the product was the focus on community.  Tactus doesn’t just strive to bring music to those who otherwise would not have access to it, but strives to truly create a community along the way.  This message particularly resonates with me as someone who has met virtually all my friends through music.  The power of music is two fold: music is both a means of personal fulfillment and of community support as it brings people together who otherwise would not have made a connection.

Perhaps what makes Tactus stand out most is the fact that their pieces of clothing look and feel like any other piece of clothing, as they are not exceptionally weighted down with electronics.  Tactus brings the portability of music via iPhone to a community that otherwise would not have access to the power of music.  It is this accessibility that makes Tactus an exciting innovation in my opinion since it actually allows access to music comparable to that of an iPhone with earbuds.

Both Co-Founders of Tactus are music engineers who actively enjoy making music together as a way of connecting with others.  Tactus started out as a senior design project in 2018 for Co-Founders Jeremy Chow and Lucas Barton.  The two worked closely with Laurie Achin, a deaf professor at Northeastern University and dancer.  She commented that although the vest allowed her to feel the beats of the music and help her dance, it was also heavy and uncomfortable.  Thus, the company did not officially introduce itself to the world until 2019.  After several rounds of feedback, the vest has come to look like everyday garb, with an under layer of electronics and an outer layer for aesthetics. In the near future, Tactus plans on testing the product out at various Deaf schools across the nation and demoing the vest for feedback before pursuing production and distribution on a large scale.

I am hopeful that the Tactus vest will provide an accessible music experience to the Deaf and hard of hearing community.  However, I am also interested to know the cost of the final product and how accessible purchases will be.  Will Tactus gear be sold in stores?  Online?  Only in the US?  Though I think there is reason for optimism, I also know there are many factors at play that could make this device inaccessible to those who would benefit from it most.