Deaf gamers can see sounds thanks to Holland startup

HOLLAND, MI – Audio Radar creator Tim Murphy wasn't out to create a video game product for deaf gamers, but now they're some of his biggest fans.

Audio Radar, the latest product from Holland-based startup Airdrop Gaming, incorporates a system of light signals fitted around the user's TV screen synced to in-game sounds, giving enhanced spatial awareness, particularly for deaf and hard of hearing gamers.

The system is compatible with PC and the latest gaming consoles. It works best with shooting and survival games that incorporate 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, according to the company website .

Murphy leverages experience as a U.S. Navy radar tech of six years. He also worked in product design and brand development for 12 years at Whirlpool Corp.

He also is an avid gamer and would stay connected with his former Navy buddies via Friday-night Halo games.

Unfortunately for them, Murphy would often bring an advantage to their gaming sessions in the form of an LED suctioned to the center of his TV screen that functioned as an aim assist.

"My friends could tell I was using it, because I was better than I typically would be," he said. "I would never aim at people. I would just run-and-gun, shooting from the hip."

Murphy's gimmick eventually became the prototype for his first product: Hipshotdot. After leaving Whirlpool, he jumped into the entrepreneur space in 2012 and brought his product to market under the umbrella of Airdrop Gaming.

Hipshotdot made it into 7,000 retail locations, including Gamestop and Best Buy, until Airdrop Gaming sold the rights in 2019.

Murphy then reinvested the funds from the sale of Hipshotdot into developing Audio Radar. He had conceived the idea for an audiovisual gaming system in 2013, but the technology wasn't yet there to get it off the ground.

Murphy said he wasn't initially out to create an aid for deaf and hard of hearing gamers. He just wanted to create a tool that gave the advantage of a surround sound system.

"Someone who's playing with a surround sound system is at an advantage over some playing in a stereo system," he said.

But after playing around with the first prototype with the sound off, Murphy thought to himself, "I wonder how many deaf gamers there are in the world."

"There happens to be millions of deaf gamers," he said. "I'm a little bit older, and soon my hearing will be diminishing, so I thought this will really help people who are deaf, hard of hearing or are slowly going deaf like me."

Murphy reached out to a deaf and hard of hearing gaming group on Facebook for help to him test his prototype. Ten people signed up, and he held a focus group in downtown Holland for them to test the product and give him feedback.

The wave of positive reception was enough for Murphy to decide it was time to get serious, so he began investing in patents.

One of the users, Dom B., who is fully deaf, saw through the lighting system every sound he made in-game, whether he was running, reloading his weapon or jumping off a ledge.

"I didn't even know I made so much noise in the game," he said in a review on Audio Radar's website.

One user, who is deaf in one ear from having a tumor removed, posted on Audio Radar's Discord channel how much the product has improved his ability to play.

"Literally one night of playing Warzone with this unit has changed the entire landscape for me," the post read.

Murphy said such feedback keeps "wind in the sales" for Audio Radar.

As a startup, Audio Radar employs just one other person to help shoulder the burden of running a business, but the company's, electrical engineering, software development, and legal framework are all contracted to Holland- and Grand Rapids-based companies.

Murphy also has the benefit of sharing an office space with one of his former coworkers.

"If people are trying to support startups in West Michigan, a place to live is a big advantage," he said.

Murphy said his immediate goal for Audio Radar is to keep driving sales and promote product visibility. The company currently is in discussions with Logitech to integrate the platform into its esports tournaments.

If the partnership is successful, Audio Radar would be the first peripheral for deaf and hard of hearing gamers in esports, Murphy said.

Another big fish is Galleudet University, a Washington, D.C.-based university for deaf and hard of hearing students. Murphy said he was invited by the university's esports coach to install Audio Radar on its gaming computers.

"The end goal is just awareness," Murphy said. "As a startup, I think our biggest challenge is how can we get on Good Morning America."

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