High-tech gloves translate sign language into spoken word

A phone app converts the signals from the glove

June 30, 2020 at 10:18 AM CDT - Updated June 30 at 10:18 AM

(CNN/Gray News) – Scientists at UCLA have developed a glove that translates sign language into speech in real-time.

The goal is to let deaf people communicate directly with anyone.

“Our hope is that this opens up an easy way for people who use sign language to communicate directly with non-signers without needing someone else to translate for them,” said Jun Chen at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.

“In addition, we hope it can help more people learn sign language themselves.”

UCLA scientists have developed a glove that translates American Sign Language into speech in real-time.
UCLA scientists have developed a glove that translates American Sign Language into speech in real-time.

The glove has sensors along all four fingers and the thumb.

Those sensors identify words, phrases or letters in American Sign Language.

A smartphone app does the rest.

The signals are translated into spoken words in about a second.

The UCLA research was published in the journal Nature Electronics.

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