Glove Based Sign Interpreter for Medical Emergencies

Deaf people experience a communication barrier with people who do not understand sign language. It is especially difficult for Deaf patients to explain their ailments to medical personnel without the aid of interpreters and as a result their treatment is either delayed or even neglected. This paper presents a glove based sign interpreter that enables a Deaf person to communicate with those who do not understand sign language. The glove based sign interpreter consists of a smart glove embedded with flex sensors and accelerometers that capture the hand gestures. The signals from the sensors are processed by a microprocessor and displayed on a computer monitor as words that can be read by medical personnel. The glove based sign interpreter can greatly improve the lives of Deaf persons and application can be extended beyond medical emergencies to other fields including business and education.