Science & Technology

New gloves are able to convert sign language

By T.K. Randall
April 24, 2016 ·  11 comments

Understanding sign language typically requires a lot of training. Image Credit: US Navy The remarkable invention, which has been developed by Navid Azodi and Thomas Pryor at the University of Washington, could make it possible for a deaf person to communicate with anyone regardless of whether or not that person is able to understand sign language.

The gloves work using a complex array of sensors that can detect the user's hand movements and convert them in to words which a computer voice synthesizer then speaks out loud."Our gloves are lightweight, compact and worn on the hands, but ergonomic enough to use as an everyday accessory, similar to hearing aids or contact lenses," said Pryor.

The pair, who created the gloves in the CoMotion MakerSpace collaborative workshop, have been awarded a $10,000 grant after winning the annual Lemelson-MIT Student Prize.

A demonstration of the gloves in action can be viewed below.


Source: Discover Magazine | Comments (11)

Tags: Sign Language