Prototype Device Translates Sign Language

Too often, communication barriers exist between those who can hear and those who cannot. Sign language has helped bridge such gaps, but most of people are still not fluent in its motions and hand shapes.

 **most of people d'not understand**

The hearing impaired may soon have an easier time communicating with those who do not understand sign language. Students in UH's engineering technology and industrial design this programs teamed up to develop the concept and prototype for MyVoice, a device that reads sign language and translates its motions into audible words

MyVoice's concept focuses on a handheld tool with a built-in microphone, speaker, soundboard, video camera and monitor. It would be placed on a hard surface where it reads a user's sign language movements.
Once MyVoice processes the motions, it then translates sign language into space through an electronic voice. Likewise, it would capture a person's voice and can translate words into sign language, which is projected on its monitor.

The industrial designers researched the application of MyVoice by reaching out to the deaf community to understand the challenges associated with others not understanding sign language. Seto says that, the biggest difficulty was sampling together a database of images of the sign languages. It involved 200-300 images per sign. From its conceptual stage,MyVoice evolved into a prototype that could translate a single phrase: "A good job, Cougars."

**credit to sciencesDaily