Beyond Hearing
Award: Shortlist
Shortlist / Future Impact / Design / Emerging Talent / 2023
Award: Side Hustle Pencil
Side Hustle Pencil / Side Hustle / Start-Up / Emerging Talent
One in six people in the UK, and 448 million people worldwide, have hearing difficulties. Inspired by a personal connection to the realities of hearing loss, Beyond Hearing is an AR interface that displays the location and type of sound, helping hard-of-hearing people understand where sounds are coming from. This technology empowers deaf individuals by increasing their awareness of their sound surroundings, enhancing communication, and improving their overall sound engagement and safety in daily life.
What did the judges have to say?
I attended a school known for the National Technical Institute of the Deaf, RIT, and I was a notetaker for deaf students. Beyond Hearing showed a solution to a need for a community that I was aware of, however it was so scalable that it could help hearing people as well.
Jerlyn O’Donnell, Director, Experience Design, FCB Health NY
ChunTe Ho created an incredible pair of AR glasses that translated sound into visuals, enabling hearing impaired people to feel involved and aware of their surroundings. It was a really beautiful example of an innovation born from a real life issue, and inspired by a very close-to-home, personal problem with his sister losing her hearing. Seeing such a personal piece of work really stood out as brave and deservedly winning.
Gali Lucas, Design Director, Vault49
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