In sports, such as soccer and basketball, the whistle is of extreme importance when referees make the calls. In track and field, hearing the starter pistol is essential. Unfortunately, hearing impaired athletes may not be able to hear either the whistle or the gun. Now a new special bracelet may help them overcome this disadvantage.

From a concept that pairs up a transmitter with a referee’s whistle or starter pistol, when either of them goes off, the transmitter sends a signal to the receiver so that the bracelet vibrates and illuminates and its wearer can be immediately aware and act accordingly.

Celia Beron, a 13 year old from Richardson, Tex, came up with this idea during a soccer camp four years ago after noticing a teammate’s hearing disability put her at a disadvantage. The “Ref for the Deaf," as it has been patented, is in the process of being developed into a business model by Celia, her father, and students from the University of Texas at Dallas.


Source: Post modified from  this release at www.hear-it.org.