Google shared the algorithms as the basis for sign language understanding (Image via: Newscientist.com)

Google Created Its Own Sign Language Software

Google announced its newest innovation, which is a software to translate hand gestures into a verbal speech. Currently, the software has only worked on PCs. The company has not make any application using the algorithms. However, Google had published the algorithms so that developers can use them make their own apps. In the software development, Google was cooperating with MediaPipe, image software company. Even though there are some weaknesses about the software, the hearing-impaired community have welcomed the move. Before the invention, they could be stuck only with using the service of interpreter.

Google research engineers Valentin Bazarevsky and Fan Zhang stated on AI blog that they published the algorithms to be the basis for sign language understanding. They said that the challenging task is to translate the robust real-time hand perception. The factors are hands often occlude themselves or each other, such as finger/palm occlusions and hand shakes, as well as lack high contrast patterns. The company also had acknowledged that any facial expressions, speed of signing, and local sign language convention can change the meaning of the conversation.

Despite of it, the company will continue the research to make the technology perform better, stabilize the hand movement tracking, and increase the number of gestures it can detect, according to the Google’s spokeswoman. There’s a suggestion from Jesal Vishnuram, Action on Hearing Loss's technology manager, that the software needs to be paired with other capabilities. He said it’d be more beneficial to develop the software on which it can provide automated translations of text or audio into British Sign Language (BSL). This should be done to help the people with hearing impairment disability more in everyday conversation. It will also be the solution of isolation in the hearing world.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49410945