Goldsmiths student designs sign language glove

A PhD student of Goldsmiths, University of London has created an innovative device which could make a significant difference to thousands of people with hearing problems.

Hadeel Ayoub, who is doing a PhD in Arts and Computational technology, has invented a glove that can translate sign language into text and speech.

The inventor, whose PhD work is partly dedicated to assistive technology, said that she created the glove “to improve communication among people who suffer from different types of disabilities”.

The invention,called “Bright Side Glove” is a glove wired with sensors which track the movements of the hands. The gestures are then translated and projected on a digital display. With the help of the device, it is possible to communicate without an interpreter.

Ayoub developed a prototype of the glove in 2015, which was awarded an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Prize for Saudi Students in the UK.

Ayoub describes herself as very passionate, committed and optimistic in what she does and comes from an academic family. When she was a child, she decided to learn sign language together with her sister. They did it for fun so that their parents could not overhear them. When she grew up, this knowledge came in handy when she started working on her project.

Gloves of this kind have already been designed by other researchers. However, Ayoub says that her invention is “more modern and convenient”, as she had created numerous prototypes before presenting the latest version. The ambitious Goldsmiths student was inspired by her dream of giving a voice to those who cannot speak.

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