New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Not Impossible Labs debuts "Music: Not Impossible (M:NI)" an applied Vibrotextile™ technology that translates sound onto the skin through vibration, allowing users to feel the nuances of a music-listening experience. The M:NI product creates an experience and opportunity for creative expression that constitutes a new art form for all. Initially inspired by deaf music fans, M:NI's use during a concert produces a dramatic effect for all participants, regardless of their hearing, delivering a shared 'surround body' experience.
"The reality is that you don't hear with your ears; you hear with your brain. We've developed a way to get music to the brain by bypassing the ears, and focusing on the skin," said Mick Ebeling, Not Impossible Labs' founder & CEO. "When we beta tested this with the deaf community, they said, 'This is blowing our minds. We don't want to give this back! ' Music: Not Impossible is a new gateway for how we'll sense music in the future. This is just as much a breakthrough in technology and music as it is for promoting human connection through shared experience."
Not Impossible Labs has partnered with Avnet, a global technology solutions provider, which has the technology development ecosystem and expertise to guide and support the development of Music: Not Impossible. Avnet's design and product experts have been working with Not Impossible Labs by helping with new prototyping, sourcing materials, recommending new sensors and components, and establishing a network for production and distribution.
Live, In Concert -- Music: Not Impossible
Music: Not Impossible debuted during a live concert on
September 21 for approximately 200 concertgoers in a private show powered by Zappos Adaptive, an online shopping experience from Zappos.com curating inclusive products, at the Church of Rock and Roll during the Life is Beautiful festival held in downtown Las Vegas. The audience for this beta test was composed of both deaf and hearing music lovers in an effort to promote auditory inclusion and human connection.
Surround-Body Experience
Music: Not Impossible is a combination of wearables, hardware, software and wireless tools. The battery-powered wireless wearables include two wristbands, two ankle bands, and a harness; each element receives complex polyphonic musical expressions across the skin. Wearers may adjust the intensity of vibrations, which are visually represented via colorful LED lights. An M:NI activation can scale the technology to any size arena or audience and the signal may be broadcast across significant distances without interference.
"This event has truly humbled and inspired me as well as everyone at Avnet who played a part in making the impossible possible through their creativity, grit and technology expertise," said Bill Amelio, chief executive officer, Avnet. "We're proud to be a technology solutions partner for Mick Ebeling and his team. It's through our experience and end-to-end ecosystem that we're able to help companies like Not Impossible Labs bring important innovations to market easier, faster and more cost-efficiently, guiding the product development and go-to-market process. This concert event was about more than just showcasing a new technology; it was about augmenting the experience itself through transformative technical innovation that expands access and inclusion."
A New Artistic Expression
During live-music concerts, each element of the Music: Not Impossible wearable may represent a different musical instrument. As a song progresses, and focus shifts, a Vibrotactile DJ or "VTDJ" may choose to emphasize separate elements of the music across specific parts of the body. As with a traditional DJ, those presenting the music live may choose to emphasize different elements of the same song, creating an entirely new 'vibro-arrangement' for the audience to experience. MN:I essentially constitutes a new type of musical instrument, focused on "conducting" a musical experience specifically for the body, including the ability to improvise and mix in real-time during a performance.
"As with movies or gaming, vibrotactile design will likely become its own sophisticated area of focus," predicts
Daniel Belquer, Not Impossible's director of technology. "The skin being the largest organ in the body, it has been overlooked as a medium for artistic expression so far, but not anymore. We've created a highly customizable platform to deliver sensory stimulation that has the potential to unleash a whole new natural canvas only limited by our imagination."
For those experiencing Music: Not Impossible via pre-recorded music, files with instruments originally recorded on separate tracks will create the optimal experience. The vibrations can be designed specifically to create movements and sensations in infinitely creative ways.
About Not Impossible Labs
Founded on the principle of Technology for the Sake of Humanity, Not Impossible Labs is a one-of-a-kind, award winning technology incubator and content studio dedicated to changing the world through technology and story. Since 2008, Not Impossible Labs has engineered, programmed, hacked and crowd-solved issues of inability and inaccessibility and provided low-cost solutions for the most vulnerable on our planet. Not Impossible disrupts the status quo by creating impactful innovations and then producing compelling content in which the journey of that innovation inspires many to action. This creates a sustainable cycle where collaboration inspires innovation, and where our content compels further action. This is our "HELP ONE. HELP MANY" philosophy that breaks down barriers and enables greater access for all. Along with our community of passionate and talented engineers, makers, idea generators and storytellers, we are making the impossible, Not Impossible.
About Avnet
From idea to design and from prototype to production, Avnet supports customers at each stage of a product's lifecycle. A comprehensive portfolio of design and supply chain services makes Avnet the go-to guide for innovators who set the pace for technological change. For nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn more about Avnet at Avnet.com.
About Zappos.com
Established in 1999, Zappos.com has quickly become the leading destination in online apparel and footwear sales by striving to provide shoppers with the best possible service and selection. Zappos currently showcases millions of products from over 1,000 clothing and shoe brands. Zappos is also proud to be rated ELITE by STELLAService and was named a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion, one of only 40 companies so named in the U.S. More information about the customer service philosophy, unique culture and job openings can be found at www.zappos.com/about/press-kit. More information about Zappos Insights and its business membership program can be found at zapposinsights.com. Zappos.com, Inc. is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc.
About The Church of Rock & Roll
The Church of Rock & Roll is a lifestyle and a movement which provides physical and digital spaces for people to come together around shared experiences of discovery and fun under the umbrella of common good. For us, church means community and connection with anyone anywhere. For us, rock and roll means expression, freedom, presence and bravery. When "
Church" and "
Rock & Roll" come together, miracles happen through commitment, openness, optimism, kindness, self expression, acceptance, awareness, presence and bravery. We define miracles as highly improbable and extraordinary events, developments, or accomplishments that bring very welcome results. Our mission: We create space for miracles.
