Communication is a key component in our society, as it impacts our everyday social, school, and work lives. However, for many individuals with hearing impairments, they may feel disconnected from those around them due to barriers in communication. Uni, by MotionSavvy, utilizes motion gesture recognition technologies to translate signs into audible speech for hearing individuals. It is the very first device that can translate sign language into speech, or translate speech into text–all in real-time!
Ryan Hait-Campbell, the CEO of MotionSavvy, says the invention is to help deaf individuals like himself in the workplace. Many individuals who are deaf are often pushed into positions that “don’t require communicating to anyone–washing dishes, fishing or other solitary vocations that often have low wages, little opportunity for advancement and no need for an employer to hire an interpreter.” According to a 2012 study, only 58% of working-age Americans with a severe hearing impairment have a job at all.
Uni is set to launch this fall and could revolutionize the prospects of millions who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Uni software works with a PC tablet and uses Leap Motion software to act as an interpreter between a signer (who can’t speak) and speaker (who can’t understand sign language).
Here’s an example of what the screen will look like:
Hait-Campbell says MotionSavvy wants to “focus on making this the best we can for the deaf world. There is nothing like this out there at all. The need for this is so great.”
To learn more about this revolutionary technology, go to the MotionSavvy website.