Deaf man hears 'wi-fi ' wherever he walks

A man who is going deaf can now "hear" Wi-Fi wherever he walks.

London-based science writer Frank Swain, 32, was first diagnosed with early onset hearing loss when he was in his 20s. In 2012, he was fitted with hearing aids — and says he was inspired to hack them from the very first day.

Two years later, with a grant from UK innovation charity Nesta, Swain and sound artist Daniel Jones produced Phantom Terrains, a tool that makes Wi-Fi signals audible.

The tool runs on Swain's iPhone and picks up details about nearby signals: the router name, signal strength and distance. Each detail is given its own sonic tone, streamed to a special pair of Bluetooth-connected hearing aids. Distant signals render as clicking beacons like a Geiger counter; the strongest signals get their network ID turned into a looped melody. As long as he carries his phone, Swain can hear Wi-Fi.

He produced a map and audio demonstrating what the internet sounds like on a walk around the BBC Broadcasting House in central London.

Speaking to The Independent, Swain explained that the audio is streamed wirelessly over Bluetooth to a pair of Starkey Halo hearing aids, "designed so that audio sent by Bluetooth can be blended with the normal output of the devices. In effect, I hear the Wi-Fi sound mixed into my normal hearing."

On an individual level, he says the project changed his attitude to hearing loss. "It was a big blow to learn I was going deaf at such a young age, but through this project I've seen that actually I can use the situation I'm in to my advantage, and explore abilities that nobody else gets to experience," he said. "I don't feel like I've lost something any more, instead I feel like I've gained something."

Via New Scientist and The Independent (original links no longer resolve); see also Digit.in's coverage.