Did you know Google holds an annual science fair for talented youth? This years winners tackled breast cancer, hearing loss, and water quality.
Budding scientist Jonah Kohn, 14, of San Diego, Calif. won his age category for creating a device that converts sound into tactile vibration to improve the music-listening experience for the hearing impaired. He came up with the idea when trying to play some tunes for a friend in a noisy classroom. They noticed if they put their teeth on the guitar they could hear the tunes better. Kohn decided to apply his new discovery to a project that would help the hearing impaired enjoy music, using a phenomenon known as tactile sound. Kohn designed a device that filters sound into frequency ranges applied to different body parts. His device improved the listening experience of young people with cochlear implants by more than 95 percent!
We commend this young scientist on bringing the art of music to a tactile experience. We look forward to seeing what other wonderful creations he comes up with over his lifetime. To read more on Google’s science fair check out the Scientific American article.
