The roar of the crowd reacting to a match-clinching goal makes for an unforgettable sporting moment – and now deaf fans can ‘feel’ the electric big stadium atmosphere thanks to sensory ‘sound shirts’.
Newcastle United kit sponsor Sela developed the world-first tech alongside the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to make live football more accessible to people with hearing loss.
It uses microphones placed around St James’ park to convert noise into digital sound. The data transmits wirelessly to shirts equipped with haptic technology – the same sensory feedback you get from typing on your phone – to recreate stadium noise as touch sensation.
