Guyana: Student builds sign language translator glove

CMC – A student at the University of Guyana, Josiah Cossiah, who designed and built an American Sign Language translator glove, recently received the Best Innovative Project award from the institution.

According to a press release, Cossiah, who read for a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and recently graduated from the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), took up the challenge and built the cost-effective, portable American Sign Language (ASL) translator glove.

This device is capable of interpreting hand signs and motions and converting them into both text and speech.

He was awarded during the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology annual prize giving and awards ceremony held recently.

Cossiah said communication barriers between deaf-mute individuals and the hearing population due to limited knowledge of sign language causes these individuals to feel frustration, isolation, and societal exclusion. He wanted to find a solution.

“The objective of the project was to create a translator that covers all ASL alphabet letters while maintaining affordability and portability”.

“The glove functionality is straightforward: the user wears the glove and performs sign language gestures. The glove incorporates five flex sensors, whose resistance increases as it bends, which is used to track the movement of each finger and an MPU 6050 which tracks orientation of the hand,” Cossiah was quoted as saying.

He explained that once the physical assembly of the glove was finished, he mapped the different hand signs of the alphabet. This was done by wearing the glove, forming the different signs and recording the sensor data from each sign formed.

“I remembered there was a past student who did a robotic prosthetic arm and I decided I would do an ankle. I wanted to continue down the same path of helping persons with disabilities.

“It was fun and at times stressful because it was my first time doing something this complex,” Cossiah said.

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