Computer Aided Sign Language

A project at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak is focusing on developing hand gesture modeling techniques for sign language recognition and presentation. It aims for a prototype that would allow easier communication between the deaf and others in daily communication.

Sign language, as a kind of structured gesture, is one of the most natural means of exchanging information for the deaf. Those who were born deaf or became deaf very early in life are the native “speakers” of the sign language. Sometimes, sign language is the only language that some of the deaf have 100% access to.

The project at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak will focus on developing hand gesture modeling techniques for sign language recognition and presentation. Special attention of the project includes recognition of continuous gesture of sign language from the hand gesture model for larger vocabulary.

A framework for sign language computer interface design to aide sign language mastery using computer or to aide interaction with computer for the deaf will be researched and discovered. The finding of the research will be used to develop a prototype which will be able to model the hand gesture for accurate sign language recognition and presentation.

For that purpose, the prototype must be able to extract the hand area from complex and dynamic background. It is hoped that the prototype would it easier for the deaf to communicate with others in their daily communication or vice versa.