Former Beats By Dre CEO Susan Paley has a new LA-based tech company called DropLabs, and its first product promises to let you ‘feel’ sound.
The company has designed what it describes as a ‘first-of-its-kind sneaker’ that uses technology to allow you to feel sound throughout your entire body.
The EP 01 sneakers work via bluetooth, with an audio input converted into vibrations that stimulate nerve receptors in your feet – in sync with the sound in your ears.
DropLabs says that ‘it turns listening to music into feeling like you’re front row at a concert’.
While the technology is intended for entertainment applications such as music, movies and gaming, DropLabs says that it also has other applications like ‘helping the deaf/HOH community hear sound for the first time’.
DropLabs’ CEO, Susan Paley, has over 20 years’ consumer technology experience, having worked with likes of Beats, JBL, GM, Chrysler, Fiat, Universal Music Group and others.
According to DropLabs, the audio and footwear tech was first invented by Brock Seiler in Montana Studios in New York in 2008, after he noticed the spot in the studio where he could feel the bass groove through the floor.
Brock met Paley in 2015 and she subsequently raise capital and built a team of engineers to work on the immersive technology.
“With our technology, we’re amplifying entertainment and giving fans a whole new way to engage with their favorite songs, allowing them to feel the beat throughout their entire body.”
Susan Paley
Susan Paley said: “At DropLabs we’ve pioneered a new category for consumer tech, a completely new way for people to hear and feel sound.
“The EP 01 has applications across music, movies, and gaming but is rooted in the music industry – from the idea that was sparked at a New York recording studio, to how it reproduces the energy you experience at a concert or live event, to its name that pays homage to the extended play albums.
“With our technology, we’re amplifying entertainment and giving fans a whole new way to engage with their favorite songs, allowing them to feel the beat throughout their entire body.”
“This product is truly reimagining the possibilities for how we interact with and hear sound—not just for the Deaf community, but for the world.”
Antoine Hunter, DropLabs
Antoine Hunter Advisory Board Member, DropLabs, said: “As a professional Deaf dancer, director, and choreographer, I’ve been connected with music my whole life through the feeling of sound.
“Before I met Susan and the DropLabs team, I would blast my music through my speakers so that I could capture the vibrations with my body and commit them to memory to guide my movements. With DropLabs, I’m no longer tied to my speakers.
“The EP 01 has given me the power to go anywhere and feel the beat in my feet, up through my brain and deep into my soul and spirit. This product is truly reimagining the possibilities for how we interact with and hear sound—not just for the Deaf community, but for the world.”
“In all my years of sneaker development, I’ve never seen an innovation that meaningfully integrates technology like DropLabs.”
Carren Morrissneaker, sneaker Consultant
Carren Morrissneaker, Consultant and Former Nike Exec, added: “In all my years of sneaker development, I’ve never seen an innovation that meaningfully integrates technology like DropLabs.
“This is particularly exciting as it relates to the future of eSports and gaming, where there’s a massive opportunity to redefine performance footwear for a new generation.
