University of Washington students win $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Sign language is a system of language dependent on manual, facial, and body movement. Like any other language, it has many variations around the world and can create a linguistic barrier. Two undergraduate students at the University of Washington have invented a potential solution to this problem.
Navid Azodi, studying business administration and aeronautics, and Thomas Pryor, studying astronautics engineering, have developed SignAloud gloves that can translate sign language into text or speech. The gloves use sensors that recognize hand gestures, positions, and movements, and then send that information to a central computer system using Bluetooth. The computer matches them with American Sign Language and translates them into spoken words over a speaker.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The computer matches them with American Sign Language and translates them into spoken words over a speaker.[/pullquote]“Our purpose for developing these gloves was to provide an easy-to-use bridge between native speakers of American Sign Language and the rest of the world,” said Azodi in an article published by UW Today.
“Many of the sign language translation devices already out there are not practical for everyday use. Some use video input, while others have sensors that cover the user’s entire arm or body,” added Pryor. “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.”
Azodi and Pryor won the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for their SignAloud gloves under the “Use It” undergraduate category that recognizes technology-based inventions to improve consumer devices.
According to UW Today, the “Use It” prize is one of the seven awards given by Lemelson-MIT Program. The program awards $10,000 to each winner in the undergraduate category and $15,000 in the graduate category. This year, 77 colleges and universities participated in the competition.
The team plans to invest their prize money in further developing the device while working closely with the American Sign Language community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l01sdzJHCCM
The pair perfected the prototype in the UW CoMotion MakerSpace, which is a campus space that provides students with access to tools, equipment, and opportunities to create and innovate.
The focus of the team is on the deaf and hearing impaired community and those interested in learning and working with American Sign Language. The gloves have the potential to be used in other fields, including medical technology to monitor stroke patients during rehabilitation, gesture control, and enhanced dexterity in virtual reality.
The team has plans to invest prize money in their invention for further development of the device while working closely with American Sign Language community.
The goal is to make lives easier and improve access to information and knowledge.