Kenya: Roy Allela Inventor of Smart Hand Gloves Which Turn Sign Language Into Audio Speech

25-year-old Kenyan Tech entrepreneur Roy Allela has invented smart hand gloves which are capable of converting sign language movements into audio speech.

This invention came from the need to facilitate communication with his 6-year-old niece, who was born deaf, and who found it difficult to communicate with her family, none of whom knew sign language.

Sign IO Gloves

The smart gloves named Sign-IO , were conceived to convert sign language movements into audio speech. The aim is to assist individuals with a speech impairment (deaf or mute) to communicate with the general public. Here’s how it works:

The gloves have flex sensors stitched on to each finger. The sensors have the capacity to quantify the bend of the fingers and process the letter being signed. Using Bluetooth, the gloves are connected to a mobile application, that Allela also developed, which then converts the sign into audio speech.

Features of the gloves & App

One important characteristic of the smart gloves is the speed at which the signs are vocalized. Since people who sign speak at different speeds, those differences in vocal speed were integrated into the mobile application, making it comfortable for anyone.

Other features of the app are the possibility to set the language, gender, and pitchof the audio voice, with accuracy results averaging 93 percent.

Shortlisted for The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize

Allela is on the shortlist for the 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering. He is among 16 young Africans who have been selected by The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize, to receive funding, training and mentoring for projects intended to revolutionize various sectors. The winner of the prize will be awarded Sh3.2 million (£25,000) while each of the three runners up will receive Sh1.2 million (£10,000).

Allela has also received recognition for Sign-IO from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the world’s largest organisation for mechanical engineers, by winning the Hardware Trailblazer award at its 2017 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) competition.

Roy Allela is currently working at Intel Corporation and tutors data science at Oxford University. He has a background in Microprocessor Technology and is a genius of moonshot projects with an interest in Machine Learning, Deep learning and the Internet of Things. Roy is a Royal Academy of Engineering 2018 LIF Fellow and was the overall winner of the 2017 edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ISHOW hardware competition.

With his invention, Roy hopes to bridging the language barrier between the hearing and the speech and hearing impaire. Millions of people around the globe have speech impairments and rely on sign language. Roy hopes to make available his gloves in every special-needs school in Kenya, and also help millions people worldwide who suffer from disabling hearing loss.

Sources: royallela.com, Nairobinews