SBIR Phase II: ASL Literacy Support System

这个小企业创新研究的第二阶段项目将产生一个强大的辅助技术，对聋人个人和他们的家庭/服务提供者以及企业来说都是低成本的，它的功能是：(1)提高聋哑儿童和成人读写能力的教学工具；(2)实时翻译设备（即美国手语和英语之间的翻译）。该技术将支持多种输入和输出选项：输入：(1)打字，(2)扫描，(3)屏幕文本传输，(4)传感器手套（AcceleGlove?）， (5) 3d摄像头，(6)语音识别；和输出：(1)文本，(2)标识图形，(3)标识视频剪辑，(4)语音。所谓的即时ASL通信系统有两种访问方式：DVD、Web或基于本地服务器的访问。该硬件/软件系统还将使用户能够编辑，打印，选择适当的标志，当多个英文单词匹配时，反之亦然，隐藏？当不需要支持标识时，通过索引检索标识图形/视频，并生成抽认卡和标识/单词匹配工作表。该产品将包含24,000个英语单词/短语和8,000个标志的翻译词典。许多失聪儿童在阅读方面有困难，因为这个过程很大程度上依赖于听觉理解。聋人教师经常将课文重新翻译成美国手语，或者用手语加强，使学生更容易理解。研究表明，将符号与文本相结合，为利用多种智能和学习方式发展早期识字技能提供了一种多模式方法。这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在很大程度上反映在它对聋人社区和那些与他们互动的人的影响上。美国手语是一种有别于英语的视觉/手势语言。许多依赖手语的聋哑人不擅长英语。由于英语是一种以听觉为中介的语言，依赖于语音编码，失聪儿童的阅读成绩分数通常远低于具有同等能力的听力正常儿童。聋哑学生低阅读水平的一个有趣的方面是，虽然他们可能不理解印刷的句子，但他们可以完全理解美国手语的句子。本产品对教师、商务人员、语音/语言病理学家等有极大的帮助，他们需要用美国手语来帮助理解英语文本，以提高读写能力、加强课程或交流。该产品将使英语用户能够键入、扫描文本或粘贴屏幕文本，并具有美国手语图形和/或视频支持的文本输出。相反，聋哑人可以对着它签名并获得英语文本和音频输出。作为一种基于服务器的翻译服务，将会对聋人在就业、教育和社会目的上融入社会的能力产生相当大的影响。对AcceleGlove的改进？将对其他研发领域产生影响，如机器人、远程医疗、虚拟现实和国防。手势库将对其他手势捕获策略（例如，基于摄像机的）具有实用价值。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will result in a robust assistive technology, cost-wise accessible to deaf individuals and their families/service providers, as well as businesses, which functions as:(1) An instructional tool to improve the literacy of deaf children and adults, and (2) A real-time translation device (i.e., between American Sign Language and English).The technology will accommodate a variety of input and output options:Input: (1) typing, (2) scanning, (3) screen text transfer, (4) sensor-enabled glove (the AcceleGlove?), (5) 3-D camera, (6) speech recognition; andOutput: (1) text, (2) sign graphics, (3) sign video clips, (4) speech.The Instant ASL Communication System, as it is called, has two access modes: DVD, Web or local server-based access. This hardware/software system also will enable the user to edit, print, select appropriate signs when more than one match the English word and vice versa, ?hide? signs when support is not wanted, retrieve sign graphics/videos through an index, and generate flashcards and sign/word matching worksheets. The product will include a translation lexicon of 24,000 English words/phrases and 8,000 signs. Many deaf children are challenged by reading since this process largely depends on auditory understanding. Teachers of the deaf frequently reinterpret text into ASL or enhance it with signs to render it more comprehensible to their students. Research has shown that incorporation of signs with text provides a multimodal approach to the development of early literacy skills that utilizes multiple intelligences and learning styles. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is largely reflected in its effect on the Deaf community and those who interact with them. ASL is a visual/gestural language distinct from English. Many deaf people who rely on sign language do not have good facility with English. Because English is an auditory mediated language that depends upon phonological code, reading achievement scores of deaf children usually fall far short of those found among hearing children of comparable abilities. An interesting aspect of the low reading skill levels displayed by deaf students is that while they may not understand a sentence in print, they may understand it perfectly presented in ASL. This product will be tremendously useful to teachers, business personnel, speech/language pathologists, etc. who have a need to support understanding of English text with ASL signs for purposes of literacy improvement, curriculum enhancement, or communication. This product will enable English users to type, scan text, or paste screens text and have output in text with ASL graphics and/or video support. Inversely, deaf users will be able to sign to it and obtain English text and audio output. As a server-based translation service, there will be considerable impact on the ability of deaf individuals to be integrated into society at large for employment, education, and social purposes. Improvements to the AcceleGlove? will have implications to other fields of R&D, such as robotics, telemedicine, virtual reality, and defense. The gesture library will have utility to other gesture capture strategies (e.g., camera-based).