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Microsoft Research Uses Kinect To Translate Between Spoken and Sign Languages
An anonymous reader writes in with a neat project Microsoft is working on to translate sign language with a Kinect. "Microsoft Research is now using the Kinect to bridge the gap between folks who don't speak the same language, whether they can hear or not. The Kinect Sign Language Translator is a research prototype that can translate sign language into spoken language and vice versa. The best part? It does it all in real time."
They do. They use iPhones (and iPads). iOS has an accessibility feature called VoiceOver which changes the input paradigm from a touch initiating a 'click' action to one where a touch reads out the description of the UI element with text-to-speech. Two taps on the item will send a tap to the UI, and a three-finger swipe will initiate scrolling. So you can basically drag your finger across the screen and find things with your ears instead of your eyes, then navigate and interact as a sighted person would once you get your bearings.
This is one of the stupidest things I've read all day. You think that pupils at a school for the deaf are sending each other text messages as they stand next to each other? Signing is still very popular among the deaf, and is even a part of the distinct culture that has arisen in deaf communities.
Your comment shows the sign of ignorance. Plenty of deaf AND hearing people sign anywhere. It's easily 10 times faster than texting. Even faster than speech itself.
I have two deaf cousins who would beg to differ, and all of us in the family who learned to sign can communicate much quicker by signing than grabbing a smart phone. And my hands do not need electricity. Fucking douchebag.
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