High-tech jacket allows deaf people to feel the music

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A new, high-tech jacket has transformed the lives of twin bloggers Hermon and Heroda Berhane who lost their hearing when they were children.

A 'Sound Shirt', created by London-based fashion company CuteCircuit, helps the girls feel the music through sensations.

The jacket has 16 sensors embedded in its fabric to capture the music, interpret it and then transform it into touch data.

"It's almost like feeling the depth of the music," says Hermon. "It just feels as though we can move along with it."

"Inside the shirt - there are no wires. We're only using smart fabrics - we have a combination of microelectronics... very thin and flexible, and conductive fabrics," explained Francesca Rosella, co-founder and chief creative officer of CuteCircuit.

"All these little electronic motors are connected with these conductive fabrics so that the garment is soft and stretchable."

Sound Shirts don't come cheap, as they are expected to go on sale at more than $3,673 (around AED13,490), but Heroda believes it's a price worth paying for deaf people who enjoy music as much as she and her sister do.

"I think it could definitely change our lives," she said.

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