American Sign Language users "could soon have a way to easily communicate" with those who don't understand signs, said Avery Thompson at Popular Mechanics. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have designed an electronic glove that can translate American Sign Language into text. Stretchable sensors on the backs of the glove's fingers detect digits' orientation, while an accelerometer tracks hand position. Together, the sensors can tell the shape and position of the hand well enough to convert the ASL alphabet into text on a smartphone or computer screen.
With two gloves, and improved software, the technology should be able "to translate any ASL sign." Researchers believe the gloves could one day be used to control objects in virtual reality. The prototype cost researchers just $100 to build, "and if this design is ever mass-produced, it's likely to become even cheaper than that."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The NCAA is a 'billion-dollar sports behemoth' that 'should not be a nonprofit'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLSspeed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
What's a pocket rescission and can Trump use one?The Explainer The White House may try to use an obscure and prohibited trick to halt more spending
