A special ring could make digital communication more secure in future.
Now, two students from Germany have designed a bracelet to help deaf people communicate with others in real-life conversation.
The bracelet translates sign language into spoken word in real time. A sensor in the bracelet measures electric muscle activity in the forearm during signing; at the same time, an integrated camera captures facial expressions to support intention.
These data are then combined to derive intended words and sentences to form audible speech. Spoken answers are, in turn, converted into text and appear on the bracelet’s display.
Bracelets for the deaf community are not a completely new idea. Others are working on solutions that gamify sign-language learning.
