Avnet and Not Impossible Labs Enable the Deaf to Experience Live Music

Las
Vegas concert showcases new vibratory wearable in the first of ongoing collaboration
to provide greater access to life-changing technologies

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PHOENIX, US - Media OutReach - September
26, 2018 - The
impossible became possible this weekend when a large group of people in the
deaf community experienced a new way to enjoy live music. In the first product
collaboration between Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT) and Not Impossible Labs, a wearable featuring Vibrotextile^™ technology called
Music: Not Impossible enabled this inclusive moment.

The Music: Not Impossible vests, the first product collaboration between Avnet and Not Impossible Labs, are ready for concertgoers to experience before an exclusive event in Las Vegas.

Avnet worked closely with Not Impossible Labs to guide the process so the Music: Not Impossible vest together with the wrist and ankle bands help to create an immersive sensory experience through musical vibrations on the skin.

At a live concert, members of the deaf community, together with hearing concertgoers, experience the music of each of the instruments via vibrations across different parts of their bodies in the first product collaboration between Avnet and Not Impossible Labs.

 

At an invitation-only event, concertgoers
wore a lightweight vest, with wrist and ankle bands, that created an immersive sensory
experience through musical vibrations on the skin. This sophisticated
vibration technology enables the Music: Not Impossible product to create an
inclusive, enhanced live music experience, where deaf and hearing concertgoers share
a first-of-its-kind musical experience.

                                                                                                       

The new technology was unveiled during the Life is Beautiful
Festival in Las Vegas at a special concert featuring rock band Greta Van Fleet.
Presented by Zappos Adaptive and the Church of Rock & Roll, the event was
held at the Bunkhouse Saloon. The introduction of Music: Not Impossible aligns
with the celebration of National Deaf Awareness Month in September, and
International Week of the Deaf which began on Sunday. The initiative is part of
a multi-year partnership that combines Avnet’s product design and manufacturing
expertise with Not Impossible’s mission to provide greater access to technology
for the sake of humanity.

 

Through its unique end-to-end technology development ecosystem,
Avnet engineering experts have been working with Not Impossible Labs to bring Music: Not
Impossible to life, including helping with design, sourcing materials, and
establishing a network for production.

 

“This
is the first of several new innovations that we are excited to help Not
Impossible Labs bring to life,” said Avnet CEO, Bill Amelio. “It was
life-changing and exhilarating to see folks from the deaf community enjoying
live music, but making this experience happen was a complex problem to solve.
Leveraging our strong understanding of technology, design, production and
manufacturing, we worked closely with Not Impossible to guide the process and
ensure our collaboration would bring this technology to everyone. And this is
only the beginning. We’re now working with Not Impossible on additional Vibrotextile^TM
products, extending beyond entertainment to therapy, communication and safety
that will improve the lives of many.”

 

Music: Not Impossible is the brainchild of Mick Ebeling, founder
and CEO, Not Impossible Labs, who established his organization to address
“absurdities” in the world, including the inability of the deaf to experience
live music. Ebeling and Daniel Belquer, director of technology, developed a
working prototype and were thrilled with the initial reaction to it. To bring that
new technology to a broader audience, they tapped into Avnet’s technology
solutions expertise.

 

“Music Not Impossible is the future of music, for deaf and hearing
audiences alike,” said Ebeling. “Avnet was instrumental in getting every one of
the finished Music Not Impossible devices into the concert venue, where we
celebrated a milestone in the history of our brand, and in the history of music
as we know it. Avnet’s ongoing and unflinching support and expertise in product
development and bringing products to market at scale enables us to continue
focusing on creating innovative technology for the sake of humanity.”

 

As part of the concert experience, the audience included a mix of
hearing and deaf individuals, donning the Music Not Impossible wearables. Once
the band began playing, audience members were able to experience vibrations across
different parts of their bodies, in sync with each of the instruments.

 

How the Technology
Works

Music:
Not Impossible is a wireless wearable system that creates zero-latency vibrations,
in perfect synchronization with the music. Wearers may adjust the vibration
levels, which are visually represented via colorful LED lights. During the live
concert, artists may emphasize different elements of the music, so each live
experience is mixed uniquely for the individual.

 

Through
its unique end-to-end ecosystem, Avnet supports every stage of the product
lifecycle by delivering design, product, marketing and supply chain expertise.
This ecosystem, composed of small-scale specialists Premier Farnell and
element14, design-focused Hackster.io, and manufacturing solution provider
Dragon Innovation, reduces the time, cost and complexities of bringing products
to market, and enables the Not Impossible’s mission of taking innovations from
“one to many.”

 

For more information about Avnet,
please visit www.Avnet.com. For additional information about Avnet and Music:
Not Impossible, visit https://www.avnet.com/wps/portal/us/resources/not-impossible-labs/ and also the Avnet Newsroom Multimedia page at https://news.avnet.com/multimedia.

For more information on Not Impossible Labs,
learn more at www.notimpossible.com.

 

Follow Avnet on Twitter: @Avnet
Connect with Avnet on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/avnet
Connect with Avnet on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AvnetInc

 

All brands and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are the properties of their respective owners. Avnet disclaims any
proprietary interest in marks other than its own.

 

About Not Impossible

Not Impossible launched in
2008, with a goal of developing and leveraging “Technology for the Sake of
Humanity” to allow the world’s most vulnerable to survive and thrive via
low-cost solutions. Not Impossible pairs R&D work with documentary content
and storytelling about technology and will triumphing over life’s
“absurdities,” and harnesses the power of storytelling to inspire others to make
an impact by challenging boundaries of that they believe is possible. Not
Impossible has received awards and honors for its technology and creative work
from Cannes Lions, CLIO Awards, Fast Company, SXSW Interactive Innovation
Awards, Telly Awards, TIME magazine, and others.

 

For more information,
please visit www.notimpossible.com and connect with Not Impossible on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

About Mick Ebeling, Not Impossible Founder and CEO

A recipient of the Muhammad
Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award, and listed as one of the most influential
creative people by AdAge’s Creativity 50, Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement
of pragmatic, inspirational innovation; harvesting the power of technology
& story to change the world. Ebeling founded Not Impossible Labs, a
multiple award-winning social innovation lab & production company, on the
premise that nothing is impossible. His mantra of ‘commit, then figure it out’
allows him to convene a disparate team of hackers, doers, makers and thinkers
to create devices that better the world by enabling accessibility for all.
Ebeling’s style of fearless innovation has resulted in disruptive technological
development across multiple industries & inspired collaboration around the
world.

 

About
Avnet

From idea to design and from
prototype to production, Avnet supports customers at each stage of a product’s
lifecycle. A comprehensive portfolio of design and supply chain services makes
Avnet the go-to guide for innovators who set the pace for technological change.
For nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around the
world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn more about
Avnet at: www.avnet.com.