DSS · Project

Smart Alert System That Makes Homes and Buildings Accessible for Deaf People

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine you're deaf and your doorbell rings, your fire alarm goes off, or an airport announcement changes your gate — you'd never know. This Spanish startup built a smart system that detects sounds in your home or public building and sends instant visual and vibration alerts to your phone. Think of it like a personal translator that turns every important sound around you into a tap on your wrist. They already had over 10,000 app users across 142 countries before the project even finished.

By the numbers

360 million

People worldwide with partial hearing loss

1 billion

Projected growth in hearing-impaired population

10,143

App users across 142 countries

348

DSS-Home units pre-sold

100,000

Households targeted via Atenzia partnership

DSS-Places installations waiting to be deployed

24.9M EUR

Targeted hardware sales revenue

Direct jobs targeted (30 for deaf people)

EUR 1,343,900

EU contribution under SME Instrument Phase 2

Pilot demonstrators installed in buildings

The business problem

What needed solving

Over 360 million people worldwide have significant hearing loss, and that number is expected to reach 1 billion. Yet most homes, hotels, airports, and public buildings rely entirely on sound-based alerts — fire alarms, doorbells, PA announcements — that deaf and hard-of-hearing people simply cannot hear. This creates both a safety risk and a massive accessibility gap that building operators and service providers are increasingly required by law to address.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered two concrete products: DSS-Home (TRL 7), a smart home device that detects household sounds and sends alerts to a smartphone app, already delivered to its first customer; and DSS-Places (TRL 6), a building-scale system with 3 pilot demonstrators installed in public buildings. An international sign language version of DSS-Home was also completed.

Audience

Who needs this

Hotel chains and hospitality groups needing accessibility complianceAirport and train station operators with PA-dependent passenger communicationTelecom and tele-assistance providers seeking new subscriber segmentsSenior living and assisted care facility operatorsMunicipal and government building managers meeting accessibility mandates

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Hospitality & Tourism

enterprise

Target: Hotel chains and airport operators

If you are a hotel chain or airport operator dealing with accessibility compliance and guest safety for hearing-impaired visitors — this project developed DSS-Places, a smart building system at TRL 6 that detects critical sounds (alarms, announcements, doorbells) and sends instant alerts to guests' phones. With 25 installations already queued and 3 pilot demonstrators completed, this is ready for large-scale rollout across your properties.

Telecom & Home Services

enterprise

Target: Telecom providers and tele-assistance operators

If you are a telecom or home-assistance provider looking to expand your subscriber base with an underserved market of 360 million people with hearing loss worldwide — this project built DSS-Home, a TRL 7 smart home device that pairs with a smartphone app. Spain's leading tele-assistance provider Atenzia already signed a cooperation agreement to roll out to 100,000 households, proving the channel model works.

Assisted Living & Elder Care

mid-size

Target: Senior living facility operators and home care providers

If you are an assisted living operator or home care provider struggling with safety alerts for residents with age-related hearing loss — this project delivered a certified home product (DSS-Home) already pre-sold to 348 customers. The system uses IoT sensors and signal processing to convert critical household sounds into phone notifications, reducing the risk of missed smoke alarms or emergency alerts.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the system cost and what is the pricing model?

The project targeted hardware sales of 24.9M EUR and service charges of 1.3M EUR, suggesting a hardware-plus-subscription model. With 348 DSS-Home units pre-sold, the approximate unit economics can be inferred but exact retail pricing is not specified in the project data.

Can this scale to large deployments across multiple buildings or countries?

Yes. The app already had 10,143 users from 142 countries, demonstrating international demand. A cooperation agreement with Atenzia targets rollout to 100,000 households in Spain alone. DSS-Home was also delivered in international sign language to support cross-border deployment.

What is the IP situation — can we license or white-label this technology?

The technology was developed by a single SME (Fusio D'Arts Technology SL, trading as Visualfy) with full industry ownership and no university or research partners in the consortium. Based on available project data, all IP likely sits with the coordinator. Licensing or partnership terms would need to be negotiated directly.

Is this compliant with accessibility regulations like the European Accessibility Act?

The system was specifically designed to address accessibility gaps for deaf and hard-of-hearing people in both private homes and public buildings. With DSS-Places targeting administrative buildings, airports, train stations, hotels, museums, and shopping malls, it directly supports compliance with accessibility mandates. Specific certification details are not listed in the project data.

How mature is the technology — is it ready to deploy today?

DSS-Home reached TRL 7 (system prototype demonstrated in operational environment) and was delivered to its first customer during the project. DSS-Places reached TRL 6 with 3 pilot demonstrators installed in buildings. Both were on track for market launch by end of 2019.

How does it integrate with existing building management or smart home systems?

The system uses IoT hardware paired with a smartphone app, leveraging advanced signal processing to detect and classify sounds. Based on available project data, it operates as a standalone system with its own sensors and app. Integration details with third-party building management systems are not specified.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project — Fusio D'Arts Technology SL (trading as Visualfy), a Spanish SME that received EUR 1,343,900 under the SME Instrument Phase 2. The 100% industry, 100% SME consortium means all intellectual property and commercial rights sit with one company, making partnership negotiations straightforward. The absence of university or research partners indicates the technology was already past the fundamental research stage when funded. For a potential business partner, this is a clean setup: one decision-maker, one IP owner, and a company that was already generating pre-sales and signing distribution agreements with major players like Atenzia and attracting interest from Telefonica and Vodafone Foundation.

FUSIO D'ARTS TECHNOLOGY SLCoordinator · ES

How to reach the team

Fusio D'Arts Technology SL (Visualfy), Spain — contact via SciTransfer for warm introduction

Order a report on this consortium See FUSIO D'ARTS TECHNOLOGY SL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to integrate deaf-accessible smart alerts into your buildings or service offering? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the Visualfy team and help structure a pilot or licensing agreement.

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