Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani
A new app in development could help people understand sign language in real time.
Students at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, Sweden are working with Google to build an app that can translate sign language into speech. The team won an award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their work.
The app â€" called Google Gesture â€" is paired with a band worn on the forearm that analyzes muscle movements made when signing â€" a process known as electromyography. These movements are then sent to the app, which translates them into audible words as they are signed.
"The vast majority of people don't understand sign language, which means a lot of interesting conversations never take place," the Gesture video says.
The app's goal is to fix that problem by translating sign language right away, so there's no lull in conversation while the signer waits for audio voice to kick in.
In the past, Google has developed software that enables the deaf and hard of hearing to communicate via technology. For example, Android offers an option on its Google Translate app that turns speech into text.
A release date for the app has not yet been announced.
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