What does music or sound feel like? Almost everyone remembers a concert experience where the bass from nearby speakers vibrated through the whole body. Each time the low frequencies resonate through the room, this is then expressed through subtle vibrations of the body. This additional stimulus contributes to the overall listening experience being perceived as more intense on average. So what if this feeling, i.e. the sensation of acoustic information, could also be made accessible outside of concert halls, namely for films and games? The Babelsberg-based MediaTech startup Feelbelt has developed a gadget for precisely this purpose: a belt that makes it possible to physically experience sound.
For music lovers, but also for gamers, deaf people, movie viewers and virtual reality users, this opens up a whole new world. “We were looking for a way to perceive music even more emotionally. Technically, there is hardly any room for improvement, the quality is now at the maximum of what our hearing can pick up. What can be optimized is the sound experience,” says Benjamin Heese, CEO and one of the founders of Feelbelt, describing the original idea.
The belt, which is produced entirely in Berlin and Brandenburg, is the result of a sophisticated process that combines engineering, scientific knowledge and innovative software. It transmits audio frequencies between 1 and 20,000 Hz via a specially developed pulse generator. The software processes sound tracks and transmits them to the skin as haptic feedback. The belt can also be worn over clothing and can be connected to any audio source and can also be worn over clothing. A worldwide patent has already been applied for.
It didn’t take long from the idea to the design to the market launch. This was also due to the composition of the team of five founders, all of whom hold shares and contribute very different skills alongside a passion for good sound:
“The Feelbelt team and the different skills that we have brought together here are what make it so valuable in my eyes. That’s what made it possible for us to develop market-ready products so quickly.” Networking in the right place, filtering potential, knowing who works together and how, and what they bring to the table – Heese cites these factors as reasons for the rapid success. The fact that Feelbelt completed its seed funding round in the last six months with a seven-figure valuation fits seamlessly into this success story. Heese also describes the inclusion in the MediaTech Hub Accelerator program as an important accompanying step and valuable for feedback processes and shared know-how: “The finger was put on the wound at one point or another.”
The potential of their idea was already evident during their first trade fair appearance at IFA 2019. Initially designed for music listeners, the gadget immediately conquered a much larger target group: gamers. There was enthusiastic feedback from the broad mass of visitors and a Japanese representative ordered large quantities for the Japanese market – known to be the dominant market for gaming – before the trade fair was over. For gamers who are generally prepared to invest in extensive equipment, the Feelbelt offers several advantages. They can immerse themselves in a digital world in a particularly immersive way thanks to the additional haptic experiences, and in combination with virtual and augmented reality, this becomes an in-depth experience involving all the senses. Nothing is more obvious here than experiencing the visual experience through sound and impulses on your own body. But gamers with the belt also have a tactical advantage: the haptic feedback increases responsiveness and players can, for example, react more quickly to opponents even before they actually hear them. An advantage that is particularly relevant in the booming e-sports industry.
If you wear the Feelbelt and play a racing game, you feel more than just the vibration: every squealing tire, every rev of the engine and even the sound waves of an opponent passing by flow into your perception.
The first market appearance at the IFA was followed by seed funding and a Kickstarter campaign, which went very well despite corona, so well that the funding target was exceeded by 300%. In addition to the investment sums, a lot of user feedback was collected and contact with end consumers was established. A second campaign on Indigogo, an American crowdfunding platform, is already underway. The aim is to gradually open up all key markets worldwide.
The MediaTech start-up has big plans that go far beyond the entertainment market. E-health is the new exciting market. Because the perception of sound via the Feelbelt goes far beyond the mere feeling on our skin. The impulses trigger emotions that are linked to our subconscious. Something happens in our brain. What exactly is happening is currently the subject of neuroscientific studies. “Sound healing”, mindfulness exercises or supporting a meditation experience via skin sensors are the first obvious areas of application.
Even though Feelbelt is not the first company to focus on haptic feedback, they are taking the next step: with their product, they really do make every frequency perceptible. Merging our reality with the virtual world, as in the 2018 science fiction film “Ready Player One”, no longer seems to be a distant vision of the future.
On September 3-5, the Feelbelt team will once again be at the IFA in Berlin.
This time, the trade fair is only open to trade visitors.
For on-site appointments, please contact Daniela.Kabisch@feelbelt.de.
More about the MTH Blog
The media technologies of the future are already being used today – not only in the entertainment sector but in a wide variety of industries. For our MediaTech Hub Potsdam blog, we talk to tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and researchers once a month and tell the stories behind their innovative business models, ideas, projects and collaborations.
