The hand signals used by deaf English speakers, known as American Sign Language, is almost as old as the United States itself, but today it got a high-tech upgrade. As detailed in the journal PLOS One, researchers at UC San Diego have developed a low-cost smart glove that automatically translates the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet into digital text.
The glove was created using less than $100 worth of components and consists of two flexible strain sensors on each finger and one sensor on the thumb. These sensors measure the change in electrical resistance based on changes in applied force to the sensor when a finger is moved.
When a user signs with the gloves on, each letter in the ASL alphabet results in a different combination of electrical resistance. Based on these variances, a small computer mounted on the glove is able to tell which letter the wearer is signing. This information is then relayed via Bluetooth to a smartphone or computer to automatically convert the sign letters into readable text.
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Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython Comes to the ESP32-P4, Emulating Arm on RISC-V, and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
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Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!