Fujitsu's Ontenna clips onto hair, ear or collar and converts sound (60–90dB) into 256 levels of vibration and light in real time. Backed by Japan's MEXT since 2019, it is now used in roughly 80% of Japan's schools for the deaf, for rhythm, speech and ensemble practice.
70 %
Japan's schools for the deaf reached by free MEXT distribution (by 2020)
80 %
Japan's schools for the deaf using Ontenna (2025)
60-90 dB
Sound range detected by Ontenna
256 levels
Vibration and light intensity levels
Details
Maturity
Established
Promoter
Fujitsu Limited / Fujitsu Design Limited
Period
2019–present
Keywords
education, assistive technology, hardware, deaf and hard-of-hearing accessibility
Context
Ontenna is a hair-clip-sized wearable developed by Fujitsu Limited with Fujitsu Design Limited and Alterna Co., converting ambient sound (60-90dB) into a real-time pattern across 256 levels of vibration intensity and light brightness, letting a deaf or hard-of-hearing user feel the rhythm, pattern and loudness of sound. Since June 2019, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has distributed free trial units to schools for children with hearing impairments nationwide.
Results
MEXT's distribution reached slightly more than 70% of Japan's schools for the deaf, rising to roughly 80% by 2025 according to government reporting. Teachers report that children who rarely tried to vocalise became more willing to do so once they could feel their own voice, and that a whole class could feel the same rhythm together during music and PE lessons. In December 2020, Fujitsu made a companion programming curriculum available free of charge, and the device won Japan's Good Design Award in 2019.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Ongoing nationwide free hardware distribution to schools since 2019 by a major electronics firm, plus a free companion curriculum, implies medium cost sustained over years.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — MEXT distribution has run continuously since June 2019, over six years to the 2025 reporting — a long-running, established programme.
Staffing & skills
Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Design Limited, Alterna Co., Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Conditions for success
free-of-charge nationwide distribution removing the cost barrier for schools
a free companion programming curriculum for customisation
a simple hardware form factor usable class-wide for synchronised activities
Common failure modes
adoption and outcome claims rely on Fujitsu's own press materials and government features rather than an independent evaluation
Commonly funded by
National / regional programmes
Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.
Do you run this practice?
Claim it —
verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.
Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
A Vietnamese NGO where blind and low-vision engineers lead development of free screen-reader-compatible software (Braille transcription, text-to-speech, e-book reading); Zero …
