We present an experiment designed to reveal characteristics of a tactile display that presents vibrations representing music to the back of the body. Based on the model human cochlea, a sensory substitution system aimed at translating music into vibrations, we are investigating the use of larger contactor sizes (over 10mm in diameter) as an effective device for the detection of signals originating from music. Using the method of limits, we measured ability to discriminate the frequency of vibrotactile stimuli across a wide range of frequencies common to western classical harmonic music. Vibrotactile stimuli were presented to artificially deafened participants using a large contactor applied to the back. Between 65 Hz (C2) and 1047 Hz (C6), frequency difference limens (FDL) were consistently less than 1/3 of an octave and as small as 200 cents. These findings suggest that vibrotactile information can be used to support the experience of music even in the absence of sound, and that voice coils are effective in presenting some characteristics of sound as vibrations.

Introduction The study presented here evaluated the usability of the audio description software LiveDescribe and explored the acceptance rates of audio description created by amateur describers who used LiveDescribe to facilitate the creation of their descriptions. Methods Twelve amateur describers with little or no previous experience with audio description used the software LiveDescribe to describe a single episode of a 20-minute comedy show. Seventy-five reviewers who were blind, had low vision, or were sighted then rated the descriptions using a number of criteria, including overall quality and entertainment value. Results LiveDescribe was found to be easy to use and useful. Three of the 12 describers produced descriptions that were rated as of good overall quality, 6 produced descriptions that were rated as of medium quality, and 3 produced descriptions that were rated as of poor quality. Discussion These findings indicate that amateur description is feasible even with minimal training in either description itself or LiveDescribe. Audiences’ preferences for description seem to be based on various characteristics of describers, such as the describers’ vernacular and tone of voice and the length and timing of the descriptions. Implications for practitioners If amateur description is indeed feasible, the quantity of audio descriptions that are available to the general public could be increased significantly. A great deal of informal description is already created by families and friends of individuals who are visually impaired through the “whisper method.” If this description process could be captured and formalized through a tool such as LiveDescribe and shared through the Internet, many more descriptions could be made available.

The Emoti-Chair is a new universal design for a multimodal entertainment chair to create a tactile entertainment experience for accompanying audio/visual presentations. We presented the Emoti-Chair as part of an exhibit at a public science museum focusing on children's perspectives on global warming and energy use. We asked museum-goers who experienced the chair to answer questions about their experience in the Emoti-Chair. Major findings indicated that the chair was generally found to be comfortable and enjoyable and that young children enjoyed the experience more than adults or youth.

The Emoti-Chair is a novel technology to enhance entertainment through vibrotactile stimulation. We assessed the experience of this technology in two workshops. In the first workshop, deaf film-makers experimented with creating vibetracks for a movie clip using a professional movie editing software. In the second workshop, trained opera singers sang and 'felt' their voice through the Emoti-Chair. Participants in both workshops generally found the overall experience to be exciting and they were motivated to use the Chair for upcoming projects.